In an effort to avoid legal ramifications that could come out of a court ruling later this week, HTC may looking at the possibility of changing its touch-sensor supplier. The current Atmel maxTouch sensors used by HTC on their phones are based on a system called “touch ITO pattern” which is very similar to the technology patented by Apple for its touch screen devices. John Vinh (a semiconductor analyst with Collins Stewart) believes that HTC may be able to circumvent the issue by altering their supply chain and using touch-sensors from either Synaptics or Cypress Semiconductor.

HTC will probably wait for an official ruling before they start signing new contracts with different suppliers, but it’s reassuring to know that they do have options already lined up so that consumers will not be affected by the legal battles they are facing with Apple.