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Topic: Mobility

Nokia claims "virtually all" Apple products violate patents

Summary: Nokia has upped the stakes and filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission claiming that "virtually all" of Apple's "mobile phones, portable music players, and computers"

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Back in October, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the iPhone infringed on several of its technologies. Apple responded with a lawsuit of its own, claiming Nokia nabbed the iPhone UI. Now things have become very interesting.

Nokia has upped the stakes and filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission claiming that "virtually all" of Apple's "mobile phones, portable music players, and computers"

Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced it has today filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that Apple infringes Nokia patents in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, and computers.

The seven Nokia patents in this complaint relate to Nokia's pioneering innovations that are now being used by Apple to create key features in its products in the area of user interface, as well as camera, antenna and power management technologies. These patented technologies are important to Nokia's success as they allow better user experience, lower manufacturing costs, smaller size and longer battery life for Nokia products.

"Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in small electronic devices" said Paul Melin, General Manager, Patent Licensing at Nokia. "This action is about protecting the results of such pioneering development. While our litigation in Delaware is about Apple's attempt to free-ride on the back of Nokia investment in wireless standards, the ITC case filed today is about Apple's practice of building its business on Nokia's proprietary innovation."

This Nokia versus Apple spat is going to be an interesting one.

Topics: Mobility, Apple, Hardware, Legal, Nokia

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78 comments
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  • Not Apple......

    They innovate everything and would never be so evil. They are the tech innovator of the decade so no way would they need to use Nokia IP.
    OhTheHumanity
    Reply Vote

    • Kool-aid

      OMG - talk about drinking the Kool-aid!!!

      Apple's been lifting others tech since the first Mac

      Their graphic artwork is top notch but they're hardly unafraid to pirate whatever they need - the Apple fanboys will give them a pass for any transgression though!
      archangel9999
      Reply Vote

      • sorry man....

        I was reciting a CNN Fortune(Elmer Dewitt) article that stated they were the tech innovator of the decade and going forward. I thought it was funny. I say they are design innovator, but tech innovator? No way.
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote

  • It's about time someone puts Apple in its place..

    I am rooting for Nokia on this one..
    lenohere
    Reply Vote

    • Don't root for one side or another - root for the law.

      If they didn't infringe, they should not be touched.

      If Apple infringed, they should get the full force of the hammer (especially since they're not trying to make amends and are basically giving NOKIA the bird on all accounts). If the courts agree Apple Computers also infringed, Apple is gonna be hurting.

      I hope Apple settles and pays Nokia for the tech before it gets seriously ugly and Apple's potential future is put at risk.
      Fark
      Reply Vote

      • I agree....

        Truth first everything else is secondary. I would not want to see Apple get punished for something they didn't do just as any other company. I am not a fan of Apple but the truth outweighs any feelings I have for anyone or anything. We got way too many these days that do not value the truth and its a shame.
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote

    • Your love of Nokia? And what about RIMM?

      My Nokia 6680 (the last phone I had before the iPhone) cost 600 Euros
      non-subsidized, needed to be replaced 3 times in the first year
      because of keys that stopped working, is a nightmare to connect to
      the internet and get voicemail from and didn't have a lot of the
      features that the iPhone has.

      Why the love for Nokia? They have been the leader in sales for years
      but have they been the leader in technology?

      No.

      I think you are ignorant to route for a company. Apple could buy
      Nokia if they wanted to.

      Nokia tried the retail store bit on Regent Street in London across the
      street from the Apple store. It's closing in March. I never saw anyone
      go in or out of the store. The Apple store is packed 12 hours a day
      every day.

      Apple is not a company that goes out and does stupid things like
      Nokia does. Nokia is hurting very badly, they are getting killed by
      RIMM and Apple. Rather than compete and trying to do something
      better than Apple (impossible, nobody does) they are trying to stay
      alive by looking for royalties.

      Remember, they are suing RIMM, too, for exactly the same thing. Are
      you routing they will win over your Beloved Blackberry company?
      mlindl
      Reply Vote

  • Apple OS == open source FreeBSD

    It's time Apple to come clean. Apple doesn't invent but copies others' innovations.
    meusterer
    Reply Vote

    • Try telling that......

      To the fanboys. They will swear up and down that Apple has invented all their goodies and they are the tech innovator of the decade. I say a tech design innovator, no more, no less. I try to find things pioneered by Apple and I can't. They are not a grandfather of computing they are the red headed step child.
      OhTheHumanity
      Reply Vote

    • Apple should be like other companies that don't copy

      like the Microsoft corporation which does everything totally original, and never copies ideas or technologies from anyone else.
      HollywoodDog
      Reply Vote

      • When MS gets caught - they pay.

        Apple is trying to be like MS without paying.

        =D
        Fark
        Reply Vote

      • I don't see anyone....

        suggesting that Microsoft is original. I think its clear that many have this perception that Apple is somehow original. I would go back and read the comments again. Apple is in no way original in most anything they do but sexy design. I think Apple should pay if they are caught doing these things and they owe some big money for doing business on the backs of others. No company should do this and its a shameful event when it occurs no matter who.
        OhTheHumanity
        Reply Vote

      • Big Difference

        I am sure MS has stepped on some toes in the past but if you are referring to features in programs you can call it copying and every software company copies from each other. The add the features people want. The trick is to do it without stealing other peoples work and violating patents. In fact this happens in all industries because companies offer the features that people want.

        That being said if Apple did violate patents they should be punished and people should take this as the Almighty Apple is just as bad as everyone else. Apple has done many things that have changed the computing world as we know it and they make decent products but I get sick of the Apple cultists that worship Apple and every time they are found to have a flaw or do something immoral they find a way to justify it or shift blame.
        bobiroc
        Reply Vote

      • The industry as a whole is unoriginal

        (And your post was a nice attempt at sarcasm, but it fell a little short)

        Anyhow, the industry as a whole just adds features to ideas that other have already produced.

        Apple creating of a smartphone with the innovation of downloading and running apps on it? Ingenious!

        Though you could do that before, with PocketPC, Winmobile,Palm ect, this is truelly innovative in the idea of just taking all of those programs and selling them from one place.

        Not too original, just a variation of what came before.

        A laptp with a built in camera?. Just combining two products that people used to do the same thing, a laptop and a camera.

        So it's hard to really say who copied who, when everything is just a particular manufacture's take on what came before.
        John Zern
        Reply Vote

    • They sue some open source, but you're coyly forgetting about

      the integration of NeXT.
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

  • Chinese Apple may have to close-down.

    That looks the only solution.
    meusterer
    Reply Vote

    • That will not happen...

      They generate too much money in taxes for the US Gov't to be allowed to shut down, especially by a FGN firm. Right or Wrong, the US will never allow it.
      Fark
      Reply Vote

      • But...

        But if Apple dies, someone is going to take its place, whether that is MS, Google, Nokia, or someone else. Its not who the transactions are takiong place between thats important, its the transaction itself.
        nccastle@...
        Reply Vote

        • As a capitalist, I totally agree with you - but reality creeps in...

          The Feds won't allow a US major corporation to be taken down. The gov't WILL lean on Finland to get Nokia to back down so that Apple could survive. I'm sure Apple has lobbyists and they keep US officials happy. The Apple replacement might not be the same gravy train - too risky.

          No one is going to let Apple get wasted, even if they did (which is not proven) infringe mightily on Nokia patents.
          Fark
          Reply Vote

          • Apple isn't going to shut down

            And the government will not have to rescue them. Apple is making a ton of money. Assuming Apple is proven to have infringed what Nokia wants is to start generating royalties from those patents. Which is better: To shut Apple down and then try to reinvent their success, or sit back and collect royalty checks? This is not a hard question.

            P.S. besides wouldn't the "worst case scenario" be Apple just buys Nokia outright?
            oncall
            Reply Vote
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