Nokia accuses Apple of further patent theft

Nokia has filed a second ITC complaint against Apple, claiming that seven patents it holds are being infringed “in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers.” According to the Finnish company’s patent lawyers, Apple is using Nokia IP in its multi-tasking OSes, data sync technology, positioning, call quality and the Bluetooth accessory systems.

In fact, it means that Nokia now has a whopping 46 patents in suit against Apple, with Paul Melin, Vice President of Intellectual Property at Nokia pointing out that “many [were] filed more than 10 years before Apple made its first iPhone.” The case has not only been filed with the ITC but in the Delaware courts, joining an international portfolio of litigation in which the only happy people are probably the lawyers.
Still, no matter how much Nokia talks about its strong patent position, it doesn’t seem the courts necessarily agree. The ITC recently rejected the company’s claims in a previous patent case against Apple.

Press Release:

Nokia files second ITC complaint against Apple
Published March 29, 2011
Alleges Apple infringes additional Nokia patents in virtually all products
Espoo, Finland – Nokia has filed a further complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that Apple infringes additional Nokia patents in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers.
The seven Nokia patents in the new complaint relate to Nokia’s pioneering innovations that are now being used by Apple to create key features in its products in the areas of multi-tasking operating systems, data synchronization, positioning, call quality and the use of Bluetooth accessories.
This second ITC complaint follows the initial determination in Nokia’s earlier ITC filing, announced by the ITC on Friday, March 25. Nokia does not agree with the ITC’s initial determination that there was no violation of Section 337 in that complaint and is waiting to see the full details of the ruling before deciding on the next steps in that case.
In addition to the two ITC complaints, Nokia has filed cases on the same patents and others in Delaware, US and has further cases proceeding in Mannheim, Dusseldorf and the Federal Patent Court in Germany, the UK High Court in London and the District Court of the Hague in the Netherlands, some of which will come to trial in the next few months.
“Our latest ITC filing means we now have 46 Nokia patents in suit against Apple, many filed more than 10 years before Apple made its first iPhone,” said Paul Melin, Vice President, Intellectual Property at Nokia. “Nokia is a leading innovator in technologies needed to build great mobile products and Apple must stop building its products using Nokia’s proprietary innovation.”
During the last two decades, Nokia has invested approximately EUR 43 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 handheld device and mobile communications technologies, which is also demonstrated by Nokia’s strong patent position.