HTC plays down cost of patents settlement with Apple

Rumours it’s forking out $6 per Android phone dismissed as ‘outrageous’

Media speculation that HTC is paying Apple at least $6 per Android handset, in lieu of a patents settlement, has been dubbed “outrageous” by the Taiwanese phone maker’s CEO. Though the companies have not disclosed details of the settlement or the framework surrounding the licensing agreement, HTC’s chief executive Peter Chou insists the terms will not impact its fourth-quarter guidance.Samsung is still locked in legal battle with Apple about patents infringement but, unlike its much smaller competitor HTC, the Korean electronics giant shows no signs of reaching agreement.

Meanwhile HTC has hit back at rumours suggesting that the cost of its own settlement will drag down Q4 performance with Chou, while admitting the spat had proved “bruising”, nevertheless insisting it had been poorly represented by the media.

Speaking at a product launch in Tokyo he declared,”I think that these estimates are baseless and very, very wrong.”

“It is a outrageous number, but I’m not going to comment anything on a specific number. I believe we have a very, very happy settlement and a good ending.”

Apple sued HTC in 2010, its first major legal salvo against a manufacturer using Google’s Android operating system.

Since the settlement HTC’s shares have slowly recovered, though they still command only a third of the price they achieved at their height in March this year [2012].