Nokia lost out in a patent battle with German firm IPCom, although this was reported to be something of a symbolic victory, because the handsets infringing are no longer being sold by the Finnish company.

According to a Reuters report, a Nokia spokesman had said: “we respectfully disagree with this decision…and our products today use different methods.”

However, Bloomberg said that IPCom had argued the ruling “clearly states that none of Nokia’s [3G]-compatible mobile phones must be distributed in the German market,” and that no reference was made to only older devices being affected.

Nokia is believed to be seeking clarification from a higher, regional court in Germany.

The Wall Street Journal said that IPCom is considering whether to pursue a sales injunction.

The patent in question, which is related to the ability to assign priority levels to calls made over a mobile network, is believed to have been declared standards-essential, meaning that IPCom has to licence it on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Nokia has been embroiled in legal disputes with IPCom for some time, after the patent company acquired intellectual property originally developed by Bosch for in-car systems. Both companies have previously claimed success in their actions at various times.

IPCom has also been involved in battles with HTC.