Nokia to sue HTC over 8X Windows Phone 8 smartphone design, says its copied from our Lumia 820

Nitin Agrawal September 24, 2012 65

There is already a patent war is going on between Apple and Samsung over the design and shape of smartphones, now we are expecting to see one more design patent war between the two leading smartphone manufacturers – Nokia and HTC.

Few days ago, HTC launched its new range of Windows Phone 8 devices named HTC 8X and 8S in a special event, featured by the presence of Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer. The new HTC 8X, with no doubt, gives resemblance to Nokia Lumia 820 in design and build at first look and this is what Nokia felt as well, after looking at the device.

Now the news is coming from one of our internal reliable source that Nokia is soon going to file a lawsuit against HTC for copying its patent design in their upcoming smartphone.

The reports are saying Nokia is preparing to get HTC 8X banned in various parts of the world from going on sale when it will launch in November. Nokia has said in reports that the front-face of HTC 8X looks identically same as of the Lumia 820 followed by side-curves of the phone body.

HTC-WP-8X

The spokespersons at HTC haven’t said a single word on this news till now. It is expected that both Nokia and HTC are going to launch their new range of Windows Phone 8 Smartphones in November, right after the release of Windows Phone 8 at the end of October. Nokia has already dominated the Windows Phone market since the launch of its Lumia series smartphones and to maintain its leadership in the market, it looks like Nokia is planning to follow the policy of Apple.

[The news is based on the telephonic conversation we had with someone who works with a legal consultation and advisory firm.]

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POSTED IN » Phones
About the author: Nitin Agrawal View all posts by
A Spiritual Soul from Los Angeles, CA. He is the co-founder of PC-Tablet and a full time Tech Blogger. People often calls him a Geek, techie, gadget freak and A Crazy Heart because of his passion towards doing things differently. Immensely inspired from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and APJ Abdul Kalam.
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  • Tony

    Platform is win8, so it looks same, Phone is retangle screen with no buttons, so it looks same. down middle is win- logo which is microsoft related. So actually there’s just that magnifier and arrow- logos. two logos and all that noise? When phone design went to this “retangle with no buttons” there’s no much to design.

  • Tsais

    Bwahaha! HTC’s Windphones already looked like this for years…

    So, Nokia wants to be as lame as Crapple. Fine, more unproductive money for lawyers who produce nothing.

    But I think this is just an M$ sponsored article, desperate to get Windphone8 into the news any way possible…

  • http://www.facebook.com/robertjoy666 Robert Joy

    Ok, there is just simply too much of this sue happy BS going around. First, from an OS point of view, the 2 companies are using the same third party OS so you can’t sue for that. Second, the hardware components are off the shelf so you can’t sue for that. Third, from a case design point of view the 2 phones do not look the same. Again, no lawsuit possible. So, please explain why the hell would there be a lawsuit over these 2 phones? It makes zero sense. I say to all you cell phone companies … sit down and shut up! Design a quality phone and accept your fair share of the market. Quit acting like a bunch of sniveling babies.

  • Degrotis

    This sounds like bullcrap to me, cant find it anywhere else … and besides that of course the front-face of these phones look similar … Hell all windows phones fron-face look similar … they are all a screen with three same buttons at bottom and then the case … The only thing that changes any of the front-faces is speaker location, adds a little different look to each.
    As for the rest of the phone, companies need to get over it, almost all phones (not just windows) have the same few buttons on the edges of the phone … and every phone is trying to be thinner and sleeker looking (i.e. rounded edges)
    Just silly things to argue about, I think in the end the new windows phones don’t need bad publicity … Windows Phone 8 and all these new phones may help them get back into the cell phone world in a big way I have and use all four maor smartphone OS’s, and the Windows is by far my favourite and has me excited for theis release.
    I have decided I will probably go with HTC 8X, simply because my past four personal phones have been HTC and I have never had an issue with them. But if my carrier only offers the 820 I may just go with that.

  • andreizg94

    the 8x front is definitely similar with the lumia that is undeniable but the back looks totally diferent i think nokia is right the model looks the same at the front too similar to be a coincidence.

  • Mitchell Sheehan

    Well I doubt Nokia will get the 8X banned, but i do hope they sue them. The resemblance is pretty obvious.

  • Mr Martian

    I do believe people are forgetting that if Nokia is going to sue then they probably have their designs patented. Nokia successfully sued Apple in the past year (if you follow this type of news) and have already earned more than 50 million Euros in royalties from the iPhone 5.

    Nokia’s patent portfolio is enormous and it might be hard for HTC (a light weight) to fight back.

  • velya

    Don’t forget, Nokia lumia 820 designs (exchangable cover, back lens exterior shape, round edge) are also almost the same as HTC Aria’s but in different size.

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  • StraightDope

    This “report” is a pile of poop.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rogelio.zamorachavez Roger L. Zamora Chávez

    aside from the similar bottom buttons windows phones are SUPPOSED to have,
    i see no resemblance.

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  • Sean

    This is a load of BS. Everyone knows Apple already owns rectangles with rounded edges!

    While the front of the display is somewhat similar to the Lumia 820 (and a ton of android phones), the tapered edges and the back of the HTC 8X looks completely different. This patent warfare is getting ridiculous.

  • stephend

    Htc was making windows phones before nokia even new what they were, as for look and feel they all look the same anyway.

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  • Nokia

    Fake fake fake, just trying to “create news”, such a shame

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  • clidkfjdkf

    what a joke. nice “report” retard

  • Lina Stein

    Sad but it is a must. If Nokia or Apple (the true inovators in phone design) don’t warn by sueing their Asian competitors they are copied dead before they know it. Asian manufacturers are able to dump phones at low prices they are not forced by high taxes on labor. In China tax on labor is about 10%, in Europe 40% en in America about 25%-30%.

  • ustudio

    sue them and apple for the nano, I hope they don’t ban htc thought, we need all the good phones we can get, but if nokia don’t htc gonna release a 8x with pureview next. And Samsung will copy them to if htc gets away with it. “HTC Quietly Copying” is their new motto. I hope they can work some thing out, with a don’t do that s__t again clause.

    • cynicalAhole

      apple has already attempted to copy nokia’s pixel binning.
      In dark shots, the ip5 automatically converts 8mp pictures to 4mp pictures.

  • fluxkompensator

    How desperate must Nokia be? Those phones look no where identical if you forget about the UI and the Button Layout which is coming from MSFT. The Lumias are rebranded (nudge nudge) N9s which was an evolution of the N8 design. basically two ovals with soft symmetric lines in between them. The HTC Phones on the other hand are shaped like softened diamonds or pyramids if you like and have this sharp side line. And the colores are not the same at all. Warm yellow for Nokia, neon greenish yellow for HTC. Or is every phone thats not black a Nokia copy. You may also look at HTCs older work to see how there new Designs is an evolution of the Diamond. All of them where designed by one and co in California who started doing this when Noia was still building ugly pieces of kit like the N5800

    Sorry Nokia Fans – try something else. Like hoping Nokia builds something thats not 185g heavy and to expensive to get any big operator interested

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  • Randy Williams

    I am sorry but when I see the 8X I see and think about Nokia Lumia Series just like how you look at a GalaxyS and think about iPhone 3GS.

    What is HTC was even more of a bad move by copying the shit out of the Lumia Series design and callling it their own. It brings confusion into the Windonws Phone ecosystem with brand and hardware capabilities(Just like how the iPhone was with the Samsung Galaxy S. Only they went to far and went after phones that were currently out)

    Something has to be done about this from the Microsoft side because having two of your OEMs fighting over design when they knew exactly what was happeneing all along is not good at all. If Nokia would sue HTC they would win and HTC would probably pull out.

    So what I feel should happen is that Microsoft from now on needs to be fair with their OEMs and not have one OEM copy the shit out of another Brand who you are in bed with. It is like they purposely put two pitbulls in the ring.

    But in the end I think that Nokia shouldn’t sue them because it would leave a bad taste in their ecosystem but HTC better tread carefully because Nokia is a company they do not want to mess with.

    • fluxkompensator

      dude, HTC could buy Nokia these days. And if you think thats a copy you are just naive

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  • irfanullahjan

    Shameful click-baiting ALERT!!!

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  • MikeB3

    HTC looks better and other than the front command buttons and colors the phones look nothing alike. Nokia like apple now feels threatened and it’s time to sue HTC

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  • rufus

    Nokia should’ve gone with MeeGo and Meltemi, and left Elop (read:Flop) and microsoft to there own mobile deaths. This shit is just useless.

    • ustudio

      no your comment is though

    • Tranlago

      No… just no.. MeeGo’s dead.

  • WilSantiago

    As a Nokia investor I say sue! This is a rip off all if I have ever seen one and for HTC to get on stage and show their design team talking about innovation about made me puke!!

    • josh

      at the same time look at a side by side comparison and there processors and programing and how they work are very different theyre are suing the design not how the phone works

      • WilSantiago

        At the same time look at Apple and Samsung, they aren’t suing for how the internals of the phone work, Apple is suing for design like rounded corners (which I think it BS) but I can see the rippoff Samsung did with TouchWiz.

        • Tsais

          Which if funny on both counts, because I disliked that Samsung’s S1 looked like an iPhone and I really dislike Touchwiz as well. If I wanted stuff that looks like Apple, I would actually just go and buy Apple.

          Samsung apparently didn’t get that Android buyers are buying something other than Apple on purpose…

    • Tsais

      If you are a Nokia shareholder and you haven’t managed to get Elop ejected, all the lawsuits in the world are too late to help you…

  • based_graham

    Tough situation for Nokia and Windows Phone. It depends what Nokia’s currently goal is. If they want to stay true and help build and redefine the ecosystem them I say No but if it affects sales this winter I say yes.

    In my opinion the 920 beats the 8X no problem but the 8S is a threat and I see it as a better value phone than the 820.

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  • Dominique

    ” The reports are saying Nokia is preparing to get HTC 8X banned” ??? I call bullshit. Reports from where? Can you point me to a single webpage that says this?

    • dansus

      Not everything is on the web.

  • veigald

    Not a good thing to see happen, but I agree Nokia couldn’t let HTC get away with this blatant rip-off. Just incredible how these Asian cell phone makers have so little creativity themselves and at the same time the tenacity to copy without any shame or consideration. And HTC even has had a phone or two with decent design before.

    • http://twitter.com/counterblow the person

      they can’t be creative because they have a culture of conformity spanning thousands of years. Taken to the extreme it means imitation at all costs including IP theft.

      • MikeB3

        Culture of conformity? That’s a bit of bigotry for you.

        • http://twitter.com/counterblow the person

          yeah, I was wondering how long it would take someone to yell racist or bigot. Just go study up on East Asian culture before you go throwing names around….you’ll be less of an idiot for it.

          • Jong

            Haha, well done. Although I understand how there might be a knee-jerk reaction to your first comment, there truly is a culture of conformity in Asian societies.

            Way to back up your statement with references. Too few people do that nowadays, including various “news” sources.

          • http://twitter.com/cecilphilip24 Cecil

            You’re completely wrong, you can’t just spout articles hoping no one has read them. The article doesn’t say anything correlating with what you are talking about; it actually argues the opposite for Japan. Also if you think Japan=East Asia your even more wrong. Go home and shut up. k bye

          • Guest

            So, you read a paper and come to the conclusion that all certain people can do is copy. I suggest you take a look at how many asian people actually work for nokia. Also, stop relying solely on papers and try using your own experience and observations (whatever there is in your pathetic retarded little life) before making comments.

      • ustudio

        its not that they just invest zero dollars in the design team, I don’t think they see it as an import part or else there android woes wouldn’t have happened.

        • Hrafn

          Gents, ladies. Its a thing with a screen, colours and covers. You need to really do something totally different with some new tech or make something buttugly to avoid getting sued. Rounded corners and the wrong colour can get you a date at the courthouse. I think its getting a bit silly. Give me a phone with two sides, a cube or just a sticker and I’m happy.

  • MarcSilverTriple

    That would be a bad move : there was colorfull windows phone before the Lumias (search for Toshiba IS12T)

    • bummaboi09

      It is not about the colors, but the design is strikingly similar, from the curved glass display to the polycarbonate design of the shell.

      • MarcSilverTriple

        Not really sure. Look at the back, it is clear this it is not the same device. The colored loudspeaker on the front is also making the design quite specific. Ok, yes, the curved glass. And so, the device itself is different, and the colors are also different…
        On my side, this HTC WP8X is not going to prevent me to buy a Nokia Lumia 920 (if not 2, as perhaps I’ll replace my wife Lumia 900). But overall, I really think that for the ecosystem, this is really a bad thing…
        I mean, I’m quite sure Nokia will touch $$ for each license of WP8 from MS due to Nokia Maps and the navigation abilities. Their interest is to get the maximum number of device sold on the market. There will be a lot of Nokia Lumia 920 sold, just because this is really a killer device, and there is no doubt at all about it. They do not need that to overflow the market…

      • ustudio

        yes true but its is to, htc been around in the wp7 universe longer than nokia, and color wasn’t something htc does, not on win phone or android till nokia came along, even ms has taken design cues from nokia, with its surface, Nokia is trying to establish its own self in the winphone universe, it doesn’t need htc copying just to try to steal some sells that’s not cool. And Nokia doesn’t have Android to fall back on like Sammy and HTC

  • mosesjustmoes

    not so glad being as i am a t mobile customer and the 920 is not coming to t mobile

  • http://twitter.com/dtourond Devon

    I’m glad that Nokia is doing this.

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