Nokia sues Apple in Europe and US for alleged patent infringement
Nokia on Wednesday announced a number of patent infringement complaints against Apple in Europe and US courts.
"Since agreeing (to) a license covering some patents from the Nokia Technologies portfolio in 2011, Apple has declined subsequent offers made by Nokia to license other of its patented inventions which are used by many of Apple's products," said Nokia.
The lawsuits were filed with the Regional Courts in Dusseldorf, Mannheim and Munich in Germany and the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. There are a total of 32 patents that Nokia said Apple infringed. They cover technologies such as display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding.
"Through our sustained investment in research and development, Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today`s mobile devices, including Apple products. After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple`s use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights," said Ilkka Rahnasto, head of Patent Business at Nokia.
Nokia said it plans to file "further action" in other jurisdictions. Trading of Nokia was halted temporarily on Wednesday.
We have reached out to Apple for comment.
Apple launched an antitrust complaint on Wednesday against Acacia and, in turn, Nokia for the use of "patent assertion entities" to make a grab for excessive license fees.
"With its cell phone business dying, Nokia began to seek out willing conspirators and to commence its illegal patent transfer scheme in full force; that scheme has continued in full effect to the present," wrote Apple in its complaint Wednesday. "The driving force behind Nokia's strategy was to diffuse its patent portfolio and place it in the hands of PAEs. Acacia and Conversant were its chief conspirators."