IPCOM

HTC devices held up at German airport over patent spat

HTC's big event today isn't enough to overshadow an issue the company is having with Germany's customs officers.

According to the company, customs officers at the Frankfurt-Hahn airport held up HTC device shipments between February 4 and February 10. The seizure resulted from an ongoing patent war HTC is waging against patent-licensing company IPCom.

Foss Patents was first to report on the seizures.

HTC has been battling IPcom over alleged patent infringement for years. In 2011, IPCom slapped HTC with a cease-and-desist order. Last year, however, HTC won a key ruling against IPCom after a court said … Read more

Nokia, HTC win key European ruling against IPCom

Nokia and HTC had a rare bit of good news to celebrate today.

The European Patent Office earlier today announced that a patent Germany-based IPCom has been citing in legal battles with the handset makers is invalid in its current form. According to Reuters, which first reported on the story, the patent relates to a mobile device's first connection to a network.

The patent office's ruling comes just days after a Mannheim regional court judge ruled that Nokia had been violating a mobile patent IPCom holds related to emergency services. However, that ruling cited outdated Nokia models as … Read more

More bad news for Nokia: IPCom wins patent case in German court

Nokia can't catch a break.

The Finnish mobile company today lost a court battle with German patent firm IPCom. A Mannheim regional court judge said Nokia violated a mobile patent IPCom holds in mobile phones that the company previously sold. The patent relates to emergency services.

Reuters, which first reported on the news, spoke with a Nokia spokesman who said that the affected devices are no longer on store shelves. In addition, the spokesman told Reuters that current devices are not affected by the infringement because they "use different methods" than those described in the patents.

Today'… Read more

HTC faces cease-and-desist push from patent firm

German patent licensing firm IPCom is sending cease-and-desist letters to retailers and wholesalers of HTC's 3G devices, even though it does not have a specific court order allowing it to do so.

The company began sending the letters to around 100 German retailers, including mobile operators and major chains such as the Media-Saturn group, last night. HTC promised it would fight back, saying the patent cited in the letter was likely to be revoked soon anyway.

"It is regrettable that IPCom has demonstrated that it is prepared to go to any lengths, including contacting our customers, to advance … Read more

Nokia loses 3G patent battle in High Court

Nokia is infringing on a key 3G patent that covers the prioritization of emergency and security services on mobile networks, the U.K. High Court has found.

IPCom, the Bavarian patent licensing company that owns the "268" patent, now intends to seek a ban on the sale of 3G Nokia phones in the U.K. unless Nokia agrees to pay IPCom licensing fees. IPCom is also claiming infringement in the German courts against companies including Nokia and HTC.

The patent was bought by IPCom in 2007 as part of carphone pioneer Bosch's intellectual property portfolio. IPCom has … Read more