Nokia: Everything Apple Makes Infringes Our Patents

[Paul Daniel Ash]

Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission alleging that Apple has infringed Nokia patents in "virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, and computers." Nokia had sued Apple in October, and earlier this month Apple countersued.

In its complaint before the ITC, Nokia claims that Apple has illegally taken advantage of technology that the Finnish phone manufacturer developed. The allegation is that Apple infringed seven separate Nokia patents in implementing iPhone, iPod and Mac camera, antenna and power management functionality, as well as elements of the user interface. "These patented technologies are important to Nokia's success as they allow better user experience, lower manufacturing costs, smaller size and longer battery life for Nokia products," the company said in a statement.

Paul Melin, Nokia's general manager of patent licensing, drew a distinction between this action and Nokia's earlier lawsuit, filed at the US District Court in Delaware.

While our litigation in Delaware is about Apple's attempt to free-ride on the back of Nokia investment in wireless standards, the ITC case filed today is about Apple's practice of building its business on Nokia's proprietary innovation. [...] Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in small electronic devices. This action is about protecting the results of such pioneering development.

The Delaware lawsuit accused Apple of infringing 10 patents covering wireless data transfer, speech coding, security and encryption, and said their patents had been "infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007." Apple struck back in December, suing Nokia for infringing on Apple's patents. The California computer maker sought to have Nokia's lawsuit dismissed, saying argued that it was not infringing on Nokia's patents... and that even if a court found them guilty of infringing,anyway Nokia had not offered fair licensing terms.

Industry experts note that this legal back-and-forth in a fairly common tactic when licensing negotiations have broken down, and believe that Nokia is playing hardball to get royalty payments from Apple in the $6 to $12 US range for each iPhone sold.

[thetoothfairy]

If there were no lawyers..... companies could not behave like this! If this is true why did Nokia wait so long?

[iLaw-One]

Yeah....Nokia's just trying to cash in on Apple's success...why don't they beg instead and say pretty please??

[vedavis]

Sour Apples, Nokia...

[FlyingJoey]

I've had cell phones for the last 15 years... I have never owned a Nokia branded phones... They make the ugliest phones ever, how the heck did they get so big?

[fishbone]

It's sad to see a respectable company as Nokia beaten in his on ground, and then try to hurt the offender with a lawsuit, instead of strike back with a better product offering.

Shame on you, Nokia.

[iLaw-One]

It's sad to see a respectable company as Nokia beaten in his on ground, and then try to hurt the offender with a lawsuit, instead of strike back with a better product offering.

Shame on you, Nokia.

Ever since I started using mobile phones (about 15years) I've always used Nokia phones because of their durability, user friendliness and the ease with which later models allowed you to install stuff. I however dropped them like hot potatoes when the iphone came out.

Instead of filling lawsuits, Nokia should spend the time doing more research and come out with a better, more superior product and maybe they just might win back all the people they lost...?

[triniflavaforya]

Not so!! NOKIA just wants new kid on the block "APPLE" to pay their dues!...you're no going to take technology I researched and provided and use it for your own personal gains without so much as a thank you!! grins

It's sad to see a respectable company as Nokia beaten in his on ground, and then try to hurt the offender with a lawsuit, instead of strike back with a better product offering.

Shame on you, Nokia.

[domenicp]

Until the iphone, I had no desire to own a smartphone. Cell phone manufacturers were always catering to what the wireless providers wanted instead of innovating and pushing providers to open up. I didn't see anything from Nokia that was remotely close to what Apple provided. The best you could hope for was email capability and a lousy browser.

This particular lawsuit doesn't sound like it has any merit. It must be more of a tactic than anything else.

[chuck_tempe]

I agree that Nokia could have spent their own time and money to develop a phone similar to iphone before apple beat them to it. I have had Nokia phones wwaaayyy back and really liked the menus on them. They were very good on making them friendly to use, but nothing like the iphone.

If Nokia is going after Apple, who else are they going to bring lawsuits against? If they were asking for unreasonable licensing fees to Apple and no other manufacturer, they would be trying to stifle or cripple Apple.

What sour grapes.

[KooLLaiD]

I for one hope that Nokia Wins. Apple is naziesque with the way they handle their products and often take credit for innovations, ideas, software, etc... they themselves did not develop

I agree that Nokia could have spent their own time and money to develop a phone similar to iphone before apple beat them to it. I have had Nokia phones wwaaayyy back and really liked the menus on them. They were very good on making them friendly to use, but nothing like the iphone.

If Nokia is going after Apple, who else are they going to bring lawsuits against? If they were asking for unreasonable licensing fees to Apple and no other manufacturer, they would be trying to stifle or cripple Apple.

What sour grapes.

You are now accusing Nokia of doing what Apple has Always done, and continues to do. BTW, Apple Sues more than most companies

[navalynt]

What most of you fail to grasp is that Nokia has spent BILLIONS in R&D on cellular technology and they are recouping those expenses by licensing the technology they develop to other companies. Every other company making GSM/UMTS handsets has either paid for their own R&D or worked out a licensing agreement with Nokia.

Apple doesn't want to pay for the R&D to develop their own technology nor do they want to pay to use the technology developed by someone else. I would have to call this piracy.

Apple paid some programmers to develop it's own iPhone OS then took on the hardware "lego style" using bricks of existing technology to put together a new product. Those bricks cost someone else A LOT of money to develop, so is it really so surprising that Nokia is taking legal action after Apple refused to cooperate?

From the sound of things Nokia has been trying to work with Apple to work out an agreement since the first iPhone came out but Apple just doesn't want to pay the royalties and put credit where it's due.

[devteamtools]

nokia's phones are utter crap in my opinion. (why do you think the are mostly all cheap?) my two favorite phone companies will always be apple and motorolla. nokia is fighting a losing battle.

[Fallguy]

Nokia is just a bunch of D-Bags looking for a piece of the pie.

[domenicp]

Is $6 - $12 per phone a reasonable price to pay for that technology? In the end, its bad news for the consumer if Nokia wins... Expect the cost per phone to increase.

What most of you fail to grasp is that Nokia has spent BILLIONS in R&D on cellular technology and they are recouping those expenses by licensing the technology they develop to other companies. Every other company making GSM/UMTS handsets has either paid for their own R&D or worked out a licensing agreement with Nokia.

Apple doesn't want to pay for the R&D to develop their own technology nor do they want to pay to use the technology developed by someone else. I would have to call this piracy.

Apple paid some programmers to develop it's own iPhone OS then took on the hardware "lego style" using bricks of existing technology to put together a new product. Those bricks cost someone else A LOT of money to develop, so is it really so surprising that Nokia is taking legal action after Apple refused to cooperate?

From the sound of things Nokia has been trying to work with Apple to work out an agreement since the first iPhone came out but Apple just doesn't want to pay the royalties and put credit where it's due.

[hollow0]

I love it when companies wait so long to file a lawsuit against their "offending rival" company.

[ty22]

First of all, how can you compare a Nokia to a iPhone? It's like a wad of tin foil vs. the holy grail. Second, Nokia is just trying to make itself look good and get money from the best phone maker because they are a fail.

[Blowfish64]

I agree that Nokia could have spent their own time and money to develop a phone similar to iphone before apple beat them to it. I have had Nokia phones wwaaayyy back and really liked the menus on them. They were very good on making them friendly to use, but nothing like the iphone.

If Nokia is going after Apple, who else are they going to bring lawsuits against? If they were asking for unreasonable licensing fees to Apple and no other manufacturer, they would be trying to stifle or cripple Apple.

What sour grapes.

They're not suing anyone else because everyone else had the sense to pay Nokia for the use of their patented technologies. Apple is the only one who somehow thinks the law doesn't apply to them. I seriously doubt Nokia's terms were any more unreasonable than their terms for other manufacturers, Apple just doesn't want to admit that they haven't invented everything. As to why Nokia waited so long to sue, here's an idea: maybe they've been in negotiations this long and have gotten tired of Apple refusing to pay their dues. Maybe they actually tried to settle out of court first! What a concept!

Is $6 - $12 per phone a reasonable price to pay for that technology? In the end, its bad news for the consumer if Nokia wins... Expect the cost per phone to increase.

$6-$12 for the ability to use the iPhone as a PHONE? You know, since Apple didn't actually create the GSM standard? *gasp* Yes, I'd say that's reasonable.

And to everyone else talking about how Nokia phones are crap next to the iPhone, what the hell is your point? That's not at all relevant to what the patent discussion is about.

[Kroo]

It's a given Nokia developed early technologies for mobile phones. Many companies, not just Apple, add them to their devices without specific permission from the parent companies. They either work out an agreement, or share technology. Apple did nothing different here. Everybody expected the iPhone to fail, but it didn't. It caught all other phone makers with their pants down, and they didn't like it. Nokia never went to Apple and asked to agree to licensing terms, they went straight to their lawyers. They want royalties for their technology, granted, but they believe they are also entitled to have access to Apple developed technologies, for nothing, (hence the counter suit). Not a reasonable agreement in my book. Nokia have slipped down the popularity stakes very quickly and are at risk of becoming redundant if they don't catch up soon. They're running scared and the law suits prove that. Will Nokia do the same when or if the Google phone becomes another hit? As far as I'm aware, Google have all the same features Nokia are suing Apple for. Where's that law suit? It's just stupid. The world would be a better place if there were no accountants and lawyers running things. They're just greedy B,astards.

[Blowfish64]

Nokia never went to Apple and asked to agree to licensing terms, they went straight to their lawyers.

Are you retarded? They've been in negotiations for 2 years! That's why it's just coming to light now.

It's a given Nokia developed early technologies for mobile phones. Many companies, not just Apple, add them to their devices without specific permission from the parent companies. They either work out an agreement, or share technology. Apple did nothing different here.

Uhm, yes they did do something different here. They didn't work out an agreement OR share technology. They just stole it. Hence the lawsuits.