Nokia Files Apple Infringement Complaint with ITC

Nokia escalated its legal battle with Apple Dec. 29, filing a complaint with the International Trade Commission claiming Apple's mobile phones, computers and portable music players all infringe on Nokia patents. The ITC complaint follows a Nokia patent infringement lawsuit against Apple earlier this year and Apple's counter-lawsuit claiming Nokia is infringing on its patents.

In the ITC complaint, Nokia cites seven of its patents that are now being used by Apple to create key features in Apple products in the area of user interface, as well as camera, antenna and power management technologies.

"Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in small electronic devices," Paul Melin, Nokia's general manager of patent licensing, said in a statement. "This action is about protecting the results of such pioneering development. 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."

Apple had no immediate comment about the ITC complaint.

In the Delaware infringement lawsuit, filed in October, Nokia claims Apple is infringing on 10 Nokia patents related to technology making devices that 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.

Nokia claims much of this intellectual property has been declared essential to industry standards and notes Nokia has already successfully entered into license agreements involving the technology with approximately 40 companies, including virtually all the leading mobile device vendors. Nokia began seeking royalties from Apple in May.

When Apple refused to negotiate a royalty agreement, Nokia filed its lawsuit. Apple replied in December in a countersuit claiming that Nokia is infringing 13 Apple patents.

"Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president, said in a Dec. 11 statement.