HTC Will Fight Apple to the Death

Cher Wang, HTC's chairperson, said today that the company will not settle its dispute with Apple AAPL regarding patent infringement. According to DigiTimes, HTC has not been fazed by Apple's landmark win in the United States patent trial with Samsung. "Wang noted that HTC has great skills in innovation and has the confidence to face legal lawsuits with Apple," DigiTimes reported. "Samsung's loss, added Wang, does not mean the failure of the entire Google Android ecosystem." Wang is correct in her latter assessment. Apple's win over Samsung is a victory against that company alone -- it does not set the precedent for future patent disputes. The problem is that if Apple defeats HTC, the struggling smartphone maker may not be able to afford to pay the resulting penalty. Over the last six month, shares of HTC have lost more than 60 percent of their value. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had taken a $40 million loss after OnLive closed its doors. If HTC goes to trial with Apple and loses, the penalty could far exceed any losses that the company has already incurred. With more and more consumers choosing Samsung for an iOS alternative, the future does not look bright for HTC. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ