HTC found blameless over Nokia microphone technology used in the One
More details have emerged from yesterday’s legal spat between Nokia and HTC, the one that ended with a preliminary injunction against the HTC One in Netherlands. HTC, who can’t ever seem to catch a break, was using a dual-membrane microphone for the HTC One that was made exclusively for Nokia. It turns out that STMicroelectronics (the guys who designed the high-amplitude mics) forgot they had signed a 12-month exclusivity agreement with Nokia, and the Amsterdam district court is putting a 10-month ban on STMicro from selling the microphone to anyone but Nokia.
The court went on to find that HTC was “blameless” in the matter, but they’ll still have to shop around elsewhere for a new microphone component. The HTC One is still available for sale in the Netherlands but nobody can say for how long. We will say this, being a smartphone manufacturer ain’t easy. HTC issued the following the statement to Engadget:
“HTC is disappointed in the decision. We are consulting with STM and will decide whether it is necessary to explore alternative solutions in due course. In the meanwhile, we do not expect this decision to have any immediate impact on our handset sales.”
[via AllAboutPhones]