Nokia has filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware, alleging that Apple’s iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards.
The ten patents in suit relate to technologies fundamental to making devices which are compatible with one or more of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA) and wireless LAN standards. The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.
Nokia said that it has invested more than €40 billion in R&D during the last two decades and much of this intellectual property, including the patents in suit, has been declared essential to industry standards. The company has already entered into license agreements including these patents with approximately 40 companies including mobile device vendors.
Ilkka Rahnasto, vice president of legal & intellectual property at Nokia, said: The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for.
“Apple is also expected to follow this principle. By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia’s intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation.
