Nokia loses German patent case to IPCom, may not be hurt
updated 10:15 am EDT, Fri April 20, 2012
Nokia shrugs off German patent lawsuit loss
Nokia isn't too concerned by losing a court case on Friday related to phone patents belonging to patent firm IPCom. The ruling affects only phones that are no longer sold by the company, so the damage is minimal, according to Nokia. A company spokesperson said the patent was granted in February of 2011 and current products use different technology.
"The judgment does not rule whether Nokia's current mobile devices infringe the patent," said the spokesperson.
Nokia does disagree with the court's decision, however, and will see a higher regional court decision to clarify the ruling and ensure its current devices are indeed unaffected.
IPCom has been one of Germany's most aggressive patent owners and has chased down HTC for allegedly violating similar patents. The country's laws mean IPCom has to enforce any ban itself, and without products to block from stores, its win may be more symbolic.
