Apple Sues Nokia into the UK in Ongoing Patent Fight
Apple has started legal proceedings against Nokia in the UK, turning the ongoing dispute between the two companies into a transatlantic affair. Normally patent battles are fought in the United States where companies who cannot compete fairly instead pretend their rival stole their ideas. In this case it was Nokia who complained that Apple nicked its ideas for most of the things in the Iphone. Well, most of the ideas that worked. Nokia seems to be conceding to Steve Jobs the idea of an external aerial that shuts the phone down for left handlers.
Apple Inc. said it filed a patent- infringement lawsuit against Nokia Oyj in the U.K., part of a broader fight between the companies over smartphone technology. A copy of the complaint, filed yesterday in the U.K. High Court of Justice Chancery Division, wasn’t immediately available. Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman, said the case is related to patent-infringement claims that Apple lodged against Nokia in December in the U.S. The Finnish mobile phone company claims Apple owes it royalties for using Nokia technology that allows such basic mobile tasks as sending email or downloading applications.
The dispute began in October, when Espoo, Finland-based Nokia filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of infringing 10 patents. It demanded royalties on all iPhones sold since Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, 55, introduced the device in 2007. Charges and countercharges followed, including complaints at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington that may result in a ban on imports of either the Nokia or Apple phones. The case in the US is waiting for the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to decide on the two claims next year. Then it likely will go to court in 2012 in Delaware. The reality is that these companies compare patent stacks, with the owner of the smaller stack handing over some money to the owner of the larger stack. Court hearings and threatening noises are just a preamble to that, ideally getting a few of the opposition’s patents thrown out to reduce their stack before getting down to business.
Defend Itself’
The U.K. case is based on “nine implementation patents already in suit between the two companies in the U.S.,” Durrant said. “Though litigation is always a last resort for Nokia, the company will continue to defend itself to the utmost.” UK action isn’t surprising: everyone loves to visit London on occasion, though they’ll no doubt be hoping the hearing can be postponed until the summer months then the capital is looking its best.
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February 28th, 2011 
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