Judge sides with Nokia – HTC One mini banned in UK for patent violations

British Judge Richard Arnold has ruled that the HTC One mini does infringe on several of Nokia’s patents. The ruling was accompanied by a sale ban on the HTC One mini which goes into effect on December 6. Judge Arnold’s ruling also cited the HTC One for containing the same patent infringing microchips as the HTC One mini, but chose not to impose a ban on HTC’s flagship product since such action would cause “considerable” damage to HTC due to its recent financial woes. The injunction of the HTC One will be postponed until HTC has the opportunity to appeal the ruling.

Nokia used these same patents to sue Apple, forcing a settlement agreement which led to a patent licensing deal. If HTC’s patent appeal is not successful, it will most likely find a way to settle the issue with Nokia by licensing the patents, allowing HTC to continue selling the One and the One mini in the UK.