In the latest development in the patent battle between Nokia and HTC, the Finnish company won a British court ruling last week, reports Reuters.

A judge in London’s Patents Courts found that HTC had infringed on a European patent held by Nokia covering a “modulator structure for a transmitter and a mobile station”.

A Nokia representative told Reuters that the ruling was “a significant development”, and that the company will now seek financial compensation and an injunction against the import and sale of HTC devices that infringe the patent in the UK.

A representative from HTC said the Taiwanese company will appeal the ruling.

The legal battles between the two companies started in 2012, against the backdrop of a wider patent war between smartphone and tablet makers, the most notable of which has been the conflict between Samsung and Apple.

In September the US International Trade Commission found that HTC infringed on two Nokia patents with its smartphones and tablet. However, HTC was cleared of infringing two patents held by Nokia by a German court in March.

Nokia is aiming to make better use of its portfolio of technology patents, which it will retain after its handset business is sold to Microsoft in 2014. It plans to lease patents to the US company.

Along with Qualcomm and Ericsson, Nokia is one of the top patent holders in the mobile industry, having invested billions of Euros in research and development over several decades.