Nokia today sued Apple claiming iPhone patent infringement. Nokia’s press release, verbatim:
Nokia sues Apple in Delaware District Court for infringement of Nokia GSM, UMTS and WLAN patents
October 22, 2009
Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced that it has today filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware, alleging that Apple’s iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards.
As a leading innovator in wireless communications, Nokia has created one of the strongest and broadest patent portfolios in the industry, investing more than EUR 40 billion in R&D during the last two decades. Much of this intellectual property, including the patents in suit, has been declared essential to industry standards. Nokia has already successfully entered into license agreements including these patents with approximately 40 companies, including virtually all the leading mobile device vendors, allowing the industry to benefit from Nokia’s innovation.
The ten patents in suit relate to technologies fundamental to making devices which 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 and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.
“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, Vice President, 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.”
During the last two decades, Nokia has invested approximately EUR 40 billion in research and development and built one of the wireless industry’s strongest and broadest IPR portfolios, with over 10,000 patent families. Nokia is a world leader in the development of GSM technologies and its evolution to UMTS / 3G WCDMA as well as wireless LAN, which is also demonstrated by Nokia’s strong patent position in these technologies.
Source: Nokia
MacDailyNews Take: Can’t compete? Litigate.
Delaware? Who sues in the slow-ass Delaware courts?
Nokia is getting desperate. Sad.
Looks like they are running scared.
If you can’t beat em with better products… Sue-em
I’m sure if the tables were turned… Apple would be suing Nokia.
It seems lately that Apple is doing a lot of this lately. Hopefully others keep copying Apple. Karma is sweet.
This will get interesting. Apple is selling a small hand held multi touch computer that runs OS X and is able to do anything that Apple could do on the other devices that Apple produces. Oh, and it also makes wireless phone calls.
Will the Mac tablet be violating these patents when it wirelessly does iChat?
Is there any merit to this lawsuit? I, in standard mac-Nazi fashion, usually shake my head and mutter (or post) a degrading comment. But I am genuinely curious because I think the answer can shed a lot more light on the state of mobile tech than many of us realize.
First, did it really take over two years to figure this out and file the suit?
Second, over 10,000 patents? How does any company go through every similar device and make sure they don’t infringe on any patents?
Hey, just to be fair, Apple has its own cadre of legal sharks to quash anything remotely, even imaginarily Apple-ish. All’s fair in love and business.
Where was the lawsuit two years ago? They should have filed this from day one. What does other phone makers do? Do they pay Nokia? If so than why have they not complained? Well a lot of lawyers are going to make money that could have been spent on R&D;for both companies.
Over 200 Apple patents on iPhone… and Nokia still found some stuff to get monney from?
If only, right from scratch, they’d be that clever to create such a smart phone by their own!… 8o
Just because you file a patent, it does not mean your patent will stand up to scrutiny. Just because you file 10,000 patents, that does not automatically mean they are legitimate patents. Anyone can file a patent and there is a lot of nuance and legal issues involved.
Let’s wait to see Apple’s response before jumping the gun.
Unfortunately, many companies settle out of court when faced with a patent lawsuit as they can be expensive to defend against. However, the stakes are high here and Apple has the warchest to defend itself. Let’s see what happens.
Apple is no different from any other hi-tech company…steal technology and wait to be sued…Apple is no stranger to the courts when suing others for infringement of their patents. Lets all no get too emotional it is only business!
I love the smell of desperation in the morning!!!
I don’t understand what the problem is. If the situation would be reversed then surely everybody here would agree that Nokia should have to pay to Apple if there indeed would be a case of infringement, OTOH if there is no case – then fine, case closed ..move on..
Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation.”
Laughed like a school girl. Brilliant.
Gee MDN, that is a lame take, because it implies that Apple can’t compete either when Apple sues…
Given that all of the telecoms/comms stuff in the iPhone comes from other chip manufacturers like Broadcom, surely Nokia’s beef would be with those companies.
Unless they’re on a fishing expedition.
Anyone can sue anybody anytime for anything. It doesn’t mean it has merit.
If there is any truth (and proof) to this, then Nokia is entitled to standard licensing fees, which Apple certainly is aware of and would naturally accept…I can’t see any reason for a law suit other than the lame publicity to pump up Nokia’s name in the face of a disgraceful quarterly performance and loss.
Why the big legal press announcement, instead or formal industry protocol and agreements?
Nokia is so desperate and reeling from being trashed by the iPhone that they’re trying to take away some of Apple’s iPhone thunder and lightning that’s responsible for it’s massive earnings loss and disgraceful underestimation and dis-ing of the iPhone.
Kind of reminds me of Dell’s and Palm’s dis…
Apple does not make the radios that connect to any of these.
Apple purchases them and incorporates them in the device, that uses the patented tech, should it not be up to the manufacturers of the radios to get licenses?
IE:
The Wi-Fi chip from Broadcom (if WiFi is infringing then Broadcom should have gotten a license) or Infineon Technologies for the WCDMA radio.
When companies fail to “design” themselves out of trouble… there always the courts!
“Beleaguered Nokia sues Apple…”
According to this MDN article (http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/22810/) Nokia’s entire company is only worth $48 billion… so I guess that $40 billion *euros* the company invested in R-and-D (bragged about _twice_ in the press release) was a really brilliant investment!
They’d have done better to give the money back to the shareholders.
So Su(o)mi
The name is so fitting!