After the delay in the launch of their flagship Smartphone HTC One due to the problems in the sourcing of its camera parts, now the company has faced a global injunction by the Amsterdam district court followed by a claim from Nokia, banning HTC from using the microphone parts by the STMicroelectronics in their handset. This injunction has posed a huge problem for the Taiwanese company HTC that is already struggling with its latest launch.
In the marketing documents of HTC One, it was mentioned that the HDR microphone makes a key feature of the handset. But the Nokia HAAC technology used for making these microphones is exclusive for Nokia products. The injunction inhibits STMicroelectronics from selling the parts to HTC at least for a year. According to the spokesperson from Nokia, HTC is not authorized to use the technology that is exclusively created for use by Nokia. STMicro have to pay 43,000 pounds to Nokia, for each microphone they have sold to the other company. The company said that it is looking for alternatives, when asked about how they are planning to manage the imposed penalty.
On this total issue, HTC said that the company is really disappointed about the decision of the court, and are consulting with the STMicro to find out a feasible solution. The spokesperson also added that this decision is not expected to have an immediate impact on the sales of their handset.
After being badly smashed in different markets by Samsung, HTC One, from the house of HTC, is expected to be the revitalizer for the company. Presently the company is floating with the single hope on its flagship Smartphone, and now the claim and subsequent win of Nokia is going to shut the smooth flow of the device into the market, which will surely take its toll on the financials of the company.
This case comes as an example of the voracious smartphone patent wars on-going between the tech giants. Nokia has already won royalty settlement from Apple and BlackBerry in 2011 and 2012 respectively using its intellectual property rights. With Apple and Samsung tightening their hold on the smartphone market, the revenue of the company HTC has seen a steep down fall in the first quarter of 2013.