HTC Products Seized at German Airport Over 3G Patent

Products belonging to Taiwanese smartphone and tablet manufacturer HTC have been seized at a German airport because of an ongoing 3G patent dispute.

During the firm's 3G patent infringement trial between HTC and IPCom in a German court, it stated that some of its shipments into Germany were seized by customs at the Frankfurt-Hahn airport between February 4 and February 10. HTC said there is currently no shortage of its devices in the German market.

It comes after German patent regulation and monetization firm IPCom applied for a warrant to have HTC's 3G-enabled smartphones held at the border, as they allegedly violate its patents.

As well as citing the aforementioned seizure, HTC reminded the court that the Munich-based IPComto attempted to have police seize handsets during last year's CeBIT trade. It said such actions from the firm are efforts to bully HTC into accepting its patent-licensing terms.

Five years ago, IPCom sued both HTC and Nokia following its purchase of a portfolio of wireless patents from Robert Bosch GmbH, which is a former manufacturer of wireless handsets. The majority of patents included in the deal relate to cellular telecommunications standards, including 3G technology.

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