Nokia takes Apple to court over patent claims

Big shot IP lawyers must have been rubbing their hands greedily this week when leading handset vendor Nokia filed suit against Apple for infringing on its patents for GSM, UMTS 3G and wifi.

It’s an all too familiar allegation, but Nokia is claiming that Apple has failed to negotiate licensing rights to the technology and is trying to hitch a free ride on Nokia’s R&D.

In its filing with the Federal District Court in Delaware, the Finnish firm claims that Apple has infringed upon ten essential patents covering wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption. All Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was first introduced in 2007 are identified in the claim, meaning if the case gets to court and Nokia wins, it could have big bucks coming its way. On the other hand, the court might even invalidate Nokia’s own patents.

“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,” said Ilkka Rahnasto, VP, legal & Intellectual Property at Nokia. “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.”