Nokia has lost two key patent claims against HTC over phone technology after a German court dismissed them both, dealing a blow to the Finnish phonemaker’s wishes to use its extensive patent portfolio to prop up profits.

A panel of judges in the Mannheim Regional Court, led by Judge Andreas Voss, dismissed both cases, saying they were unconvinced by Nokia’s allegations against the Taiwanese company, which itself is suffering from falling sales as its smartphones lose popularity.

HTC said it was delighted with today’s decision and that it would prevent Nokia from extracting unwarranted licensing royalties from Android handset manufacturers.

Nokia can appeal and said it is likely to press ahead with 34 further patent assertions against HTC. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013)