The US International Trade Commission (USITC) is planning to investigate claims made by Nokia that Apple infringed several of its patents.
Currently, there are no details apart from the fact that the USITC aims to look closer at the situation, with the federal agency noting that it had not yet made any decision on the merits of the case.
The USITC said it will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time.
Nokia is seeking a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order in the case.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Nokia Technologies on 22 December 2016, alleging violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the US and sale of several electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablet computers, and components.
The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the agency’s administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing.
The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 
337 and that is subject to the commission’s review.
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Nokia filed several lawsuits against the US tech giant alleging it violated 32 patents.
The lawsuits were filed in the Regional Courts in Dusseldorf, Mannheim and Munich in Germany and the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
The suits cover patents for display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets and video coding. Nokia is also planning to file more lawsuits in other jurisdictions.
Apple has alleged that Nokia has conspired with patent trolls to extract more than its fair share of IP licensing fees.
In its complaint, Apple alleged that “These serial assertions and litigations have forced Apple to incur multiple millions of dollars in defense costs.”
The iPhone maker is taking legal action against Acacia Research and Conversant Intellectual Property Management, accusing them of working with Nokia to extract and extort exorbitant revenues unfairly from Apple.
