Nokia unleashes patent legal battle on Apple
Nokia has announced it is suing Apple in German and
US courts for patent infringement, claiming the US tech giant was using its
technology in "many" products without paying for it.
Finnish Nokia, once the world's top mobile phone
maker, said the two companies had signed a licensing agreement in 2011, and
since then "Apple has declined subsequent offers made by Nokia to license
other of its patented inventions which are used by many of Apple's
products".
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| Nokia is suing Apple Inc over mobile phone patents |
"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," Ilkka Rahnasto, head of Nokia's patent business,
said in a statement.
The complaints, filed in three German cities and a
district court in Texas, concern 32 patents for innovations related to
displays, user interface, software, antennae, chipsets and video coding. Nokia
said it was preparing further legal action elsewhere.
Nokia was the world's leading mobile phone maker
from 1998 until 2011 when it bet on Microsoft's Windows mobile platform, which
proved to be a flop. Analysts say the company failed to grasp the growing
importance of smartphone apps compared to hardware.
It sold its unprofitable handset unit in 2014 for
some $7.2bn to Microsoft, which dropped the Nokia name from its Lumia
smartphone handsets.
Meanwhile Nokia has concentrated on developing its
mobile network equipment business by acquiring its French-American rival Alcatel-Lucent.
Including its 2013 full acquisition of joint venture
Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia said the three companies united represent more
than €115bn of R&D investment, with a massive portfolio of tens of
thousands of patents.
The 2011 licensing deal followed years of clashes
with Apple, which has also sparred with main rival Samsung over patent claims.
At the time, Apple cut the deal to settle 46
separate complaints Nokia had lodged against it for violation of intellectual
property.
Source: Telegraph
