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Nokia Sues Apple, Claims Patent Infringement in iPhone and Other Devices (marketwatch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the patent-war dept.

Nokia today announced a number of patent infringement complaints against Apple in Europe and the U.S. courts. There are 32 patents in total that Nokia claims Apple infringed, covering technologies such as display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets and video coding. From a report on MarketWatch: Nokia said Apple agreed to license a few of Nokia Technologies' patents in 2011, but has declined offers by Nokia since then to license other patents whose inventions have been used in Apple mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad, and the Mac. The lawsuits, filed in a Munich, Germany, regional court and a district court in Texas, cover technologies such as display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets and video coding. Nokia said it's in the process of filing further actions in other jurisdictions as well. "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.

33 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Grief stage 6 by tripleevenfall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Grief stage 6... patent trolling.

    1. Re:Grief stage 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Apple mainly has design patents for things like swipe bounce and round corners. Plus they still have to go through stages 1-5.

      Apple is a notorious technical patent thief who sued another company for design patent thievery and is now being sued for technical patent thievery. What's that you say? It's the smell of deliciously stewed Karma.

    2. Re:Grief stage 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      LOL apple doesn't need any buckets to pay their lost lawsuits, that's what the sheep are for; a slight increase in the price of dongle should do it.

    3. Re:Grief stage 6 by gravewax · · Score: 5, Informative

      It isn't patent trolling when you actually did invent the stuff, used it and tried to license it.

    4. Re:Grief stage 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      seems more a textbook case of the CORRECT use and defence of patents. This is the actual company that invented many of the items in phones today even if they are a shadow of their former self and from the article they tried to do the right thing with Apple for years but as usual apple are just arseholes.

    5. Re:Grief stage 6 by sycodon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Software and interface patents just need to die.

      Billions spent and still computers suck.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    6. Re:Grief stage 6 by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Nice story you made up, too bad it doesn't reflect reality. Standards patents are licensed under FRAND terms.

    7. Re:Grief stage 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nokia has literally invented most of the modern mobile network infrastructure and cornerstone technology of modern mobile phones. They have spent an insane amount of money over the years to come up with this stuff, and they have also licensed it to numerous mobile network and phone manufacturing companies. They're not using the patents to stifle competition, but they do want compensation for the risks they took when they spent that money into coming up with new technology.

      You need to look up the correct definition of patent trolling before you throw such ludicrous statements around.

  2. Once the largest cell phone company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Now reduced to patent troll tears. I wonder if this is just a Microsoft proxy war. I guess BB will be the next company to do nothing but sue for patent infringement.

    If you can, do. If you can't, teach. If you can't teach, create a patent holding company.

    1. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's SCO all over again.

    2. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by gravewax · · Score: 2

      how is this in any way similar to SCO? Nokia actually invented the stuff and patented and even licensed it out. Unless you are comparing Apple to SCO in that they are both a bunch of money grubbing pricks?

    3. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      I wonder if this is just a Microsoft proxy war.

      Not likely since this is Nokia Corp, what was left after Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile handset business. Nokia Corp kept the patents to license to other manufacturers as part of the Microsoft deal.

    4. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Are you aware that Apple are infringing on many patents, genuine patents and real innovations as opposed to their own "patents" of sliding a button to the side etc.? They rely on their size to get away with it, but nevertheless, they are infringing on patents.

      Companies like Ericsson and Nokia "do" and "teach" like you say, while companies like Apple just sue to get their way.

    5. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You know, there is a very large possibility that Nokia actually invented these things, and that the patents are entirely valid? That's not generally something you could say about "patent trolls".

      Either way, the possibility that Apple actually invented any of it is nil, so presumably they own someone at least.

    6. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by Luthair · · Score: 1

      They invented round corners, don't forget about those.

    7. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by gravewax · · Score: 1

      Bullshit, Nokia only sold off one part of the company, they are not in any way shape or form just a shell company.

    8. Re:Once the largest cell phone company by jbrown.za · · Score: 1

      Does a shell company employee over 50,000 people, generated over Euro 20 Billion in revenue and have a market cap of around $27 billion USD?

      Nokia is a 150 year old company. They have been through many transformations from pulp and forestry to rubber, power generation, cable production and telecommunications.

      Every phone needs a network to connect to a network. AT&T, Vodafone, Telefonica etc. all invest huge amounts of capital in building these networks. Nokia supplies the core technologies to the phone network operators. Even when they were known primarily for their handsets they were already supplying network equipment.

  3. Re:They must get their tech news from Slashdot. by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 4, Informative

    Thank goodness someone told Nokia about this hip new iPhone device so they could take action before years went by or something.

    I thought the same thing, until I read the last sentence of TFS:

    "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.

    It sounds like they tried to avoid going to court for several years. At least that' what I got out of TFS.

  4. Re:Karma by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

    Actually, with their losses in high courts around the world I would think their risk is pretty low. You can't on one hand say the penalties are not linked to all the profits and value tiny pieces of the phone highly on the other.

  5. This is new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    A patent lawsuit in Texas!

    Why, I bet that patent was made in New York City!

    1. Re:This is new by halivar · · Score: 1

      Downmods are too young to remember this classic 90's Pace Picante ad reference.

  6. declined "offers" ? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2, Insightful

    That's the drill: when you're trying to shake someone down, you call it an 'offer'.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:declined "offers" ? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      That's the drill: when you're trying to shake someone down, you call it an 'offer'.

      That shows how little you know about the mobile phone industry. This isn't a shakedown, this is just another day in the procurement department of a mobile company.

  7. Hwo did Apple ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... infringe on patents held by a Finnish bicycle tire manufacturer?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Hwo did Apple ... by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      The tire manufacturer has a patent on rounded corners obviously.

    2. Re:Hwo did Apple ... by vux984 · · Score: 1

      I assume the same way Samsung infringed on Apple's patents:

      http://static5.gamespot.com/up...

    3. Re:Hwo did Apple ... by PPH · · Score: 1

      That was probably a joke,

      Yes.

      This allowed Nokia Corporation to solely focus on communications.

      The way that business is going, they should have stuck with tires (that's the implied punch line).

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  8. A District Court in Texas by Volfied · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A District Court in Texas, eh? I wonder which one...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  9. FRAND by mveloso · · Score: 1

    It's all about the FRAND.

    How do you calculate FRAND when there are only two or three companies left?

    1. Re:FRAND by mveloso · · Score: 1

      Why can't we be FRANDs? Why can't we be FRANDs?

  10. Re:They must get their tech news from Slashdot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    How is Nokia failing badly in the modern mobile sector? Their market share is stable and they make a healthy profit. They simply don't want Apple to use technologies developed by Nokia without fair compensation. Patents may be a dubious concept and they may be abused often, but Nokia demanding royalties from Apple in this case is a textbook case of how they are supposed to work.

  11. The *definition* of patent trolling by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    It isn't patent trolling when you actually did invent the stuff, used it and tried to license it.

    It is when you produce nothing, design nothing, research nothing - all you do is send out the lawyers to collect on designs you created long ago, when you were a real company.

  12. echnologies by Kasem · · Score: 1

    https://goo.gl/Ba6q7 oIn minutes, you’ll get a personalized report detailing any problems found, plus a list of recommended fixes.