recovery of data on MMC protected internal memory device

I have a broken HTC Sensation with a forensics lab who are trying to recover the data from the phone's internal memory chip. The technician says he is unable to recover the data on the chip because the chip itself is MMC password protected. This is the first time he has ever encountered this on an internal memory chip. He added that he was mystified as to how an internal memory chip could become MMC password protected in the first place. I should add that this phone belongs to me. It is not nor was it ever password protected. Can anyone here offer any guidance on solving this problem? I simply refuse to believe that HTC have for the first time in the history of civilisation, created a perfect security measure and then installed it into a mid-price mobile phone handset. Many thanks