UK - HTC Corporation v. Yozmot 33 Limited

HTC Corporation v. Yozmot 33 Limited, Patents Court, Chancery Division, High Court of Justice, London, UK, 20 April 2010, [2010] EWHC 786 (Pat)

The Patents Court has held Yozmot’s patent EP (UK) 0 909 499 to be partially valid.

Yozmot’s patent concerned a boosted loudspeaker for a mobile telephone. Yozmot alleged infringement of claims 1,2, 5 and 6 of the patent in respect of a number of HTC’s mobile phones and asserted claims 5, 6 and 7 as being independently valid. HTC alleged that the patent was invalid for lack of novelty, obviousness, insufficiency, added matter and unpatentable subject matter.

Mr Justice Arnold held claims 1, 5 and 6 to be invalid for lack of novelty and obviousness. The allegations of insufficiency, added matter and unpatentable subject matter failed and so claim 7 was held to be valid. Mr Justice Arnold held that if claims 1, 5 and 6 were valid, they would have been infringed by HTC.

Read the judgment (in English) here.