HTC hit with $8.9 mln verdict in US wireless patent fight

HTC

16/10/2023 23:45

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      HTC accused of violating LTE patent rights with smartphone
tech
    

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      Jury said HTC infringed patents formerly belonging to
French
telecom
    

  
    By Blake Brittain
       Oct 16 (Reuters) - Consumer electronics company HTC
 2498.TW  owes more than $8.9 million in damages for infringing
wireless communications patents owned by a Luxembourg-based
patent licensing company, a jury in Delaware federal court said
on Monday.
    The jury determined after a five-day trial that technology
in HTC's smartphones for communicating data over an LTE network
violates 3G Licensing's patent rights in similar technology.
    The jury also said that HTC infringed the patents willfully,
which could lead to U.S. District Judge Gregory Williams
multiplying the award.
    A spokesperson for HTC said the company was disappointed
with the verdict and will "evaluate and pursue all available
relief." 
    3G Licensing attorney Lexie White of Susman Godfrey said the
award was a "decisive vindication of our client's IP and their
decision to stand up for themselves."
    3G Licensing said in its 2017 lawsuit that it owns more than
400 patents covering wireless telecommunications technology. The
company said it sued Taiwan-based HTC after licensing
negotiations broke down.
    The lawsuit claimed that HTC's LTE-capable One, Bolt, Desire
and other smartphones infringed two of its patents essential to
relevant wireless standards. 
    3G Licensing also said that HTC technology used in Google
Pixel phones violated its patent rights. Google was not a
defendant in the case.
    HTC denied the allegations and argued that the patents were
invalid.
    French telecom company Orange  ORAN.PA , which developed the
patented technology, is also a plaintiff in the case. 
    Dutch telecom company KPN  KPN.AS  was an additional
plaintiff in the original lawsuit. KPN and HTC settled in May,
according to court filings.
    The case is 3G Licensing SA v. HTC Corp, U.S. District Court
for the District of Delaware, No. 1:17-cv-00083.
    For 3G: Lexie White and Andres Healy of Susman Godfrey
    For HTC: Yar Chaikovsky, Philip Ou and Bruce Yen of White &
Case

 (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)