Nokia In Legal Wrangle With Apple Over iPhone Patents

Mobile phone giants, Nokia and Apple, are all set to clash in a legal battle after the Finnish mobile phone company filed a lawsuit against its American rival that could end in Nokia having a preset commission on every iPhone sold by Apple.

Nokia has filed a legal suit with the Federal District Court in Delaware accusing that the iPhone maker has breached ten of its patents surrounding the GSM, 3G, as well as wireless local area network (WLAN) standards employed in Europe.

The two companies have long been engaged in negotiations to come up with a mutually-accepted agreement that would see Apple pay some licence fee for using the technology developed by Nokia.

The talks between the two for a mutual agreement have apparently been failed, and eventually prompted Nokia to go via the legal route.

Although Nokia is undoubtedly a clear-cut leader in the international handset market, it has recently lost its share in the high-end, more lucrative smartphone segment to Apple’s blockbuster iPhone.

In its complaint, Nokia quoted that it was looking for compensation for the use of its technology by Apple, and that it is allowed for injunction until Apple readies to pay the compensation, along with due interest.

“By refusing to compensate Nokia for its patented technologies, Apple is attempting to get a 'free-ride' on the billions of dollars that Nokia has invested”, Nokia said in the filing.