Nokia Ramps Up Patent Battle With Apple
Posted 12/29/2009 at 11:51am
| by J.R. Bookwalter

The patent fight between Nokia and Apple started over the iPhone, but with a new complaint filed this week, the Finnish cell phone giant is now staking claim to most everything else Apple makes, too.
Reuters is reporting that on Tuesday, Nokia filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that Apple is infringing on Nokia’s patents in “virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players and computers” sold.
Seven technology patents are cited by Nokia as being used by Apple to create features in user interfaces, camera, antenna and power management technologies, the company said in a statement. Needless to say, Apple was not immediately available for comment.
The ITC complaint escalates Nokia’s battle to fight off Apple’s stiff competition, with the supposed patent violations now expanding to include Cupertino’s iPod and iMac in addition to the earlier lawsuit regarding the iPhone. Apple likely won’t be taking it laying down, having already launched a countersuit against Nokia in defense of their iPhone patent claims.
A Nokia spokesman expects the ITC to make a decision about the case within 30 days. Any potential injunction against the sale of Apple products involved in the alleged patent infringement likely wouldn’t take effect until 2011 at the earliest.
While Apple may trail Nokia in overall cellphone units sold, the iPhone has virtually leapfrogged the Finnish hardware maker’s smartphone sales, overtaking Nokia last quarter as the cellphone maker with the highest total operating profit.
Nokia filed their first lawsuit against Apple in October, alleging that the iPhone infringed upon 10 of their patents. Apple struck back earlier this month, claiming that Nokia infringed on 13 of their patents and accusing the cell phone giant of anti-competitive practices.