Apple takes legal battle with Nokia to Britain
HELSINKI |
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Apple has sued Nokia in Britain, extending the two technology giants' legal battle over patents beyond U.S. borders. "We are investigating the claims, which appear to be based on nine implementation patents already in suit between the two companies in the United States," said Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant. The two firms have been locked in a legal tussle since last October, when Nokia sued Apple in the United States, arguing the iPhone-maker was getting a "free ride" on technologies patented by Nokia.
The Finnish company said Apple owed it royalties for using Nokia technology that allows such basic mobile tasks as sending email or downloading applications.
The U.S. trade body ITC is set to decide on some of the claims between the two companies next year, while the key court hearings are scheduled for 2012 in Delaware.
A spokesman for Apple in Britain was not immediately available for comment.
Shares in Nokia were 0.3 percent lower at $9.78 by 1717 GMT, while Apple shares were 1.2 percent lower at $287.56, hurt by rumors its No. 2 executive Tim Cook was departing for Hewlett-Packard Co.
(Reporting by Tarmo Virki, Paul Sandle in London, Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, and Gabriel Madway in San Francisco; Editing by Will Waterman)
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The patents war flares up again. Does Apple’s Steve Jobs want to test Nokia’s new CEO Stephen Elop’s ammunition stockpile and its fire range?
Nokia does not have any of your correspondents on their payroll, which may be their only mistake.
Your “analysis” of them is wrong: Nokia launched the first Smartphone, the Nokia Communicator 9000 15 years before the iPhone. They worked alone in the market for 15 years. The phone had just a B/W screen, but a full keyboard and a full application suite to match MS Office. Nokia has been MS Office compliant with their “PC Suite” for 20 years.
You rely on a young Fin that was not in school when these products were made, and a Danish attention seeker.
Try to balance your reporting. What Nokia is battling is the “Not Invented Here” syndrome – the belief by Americans that “they lead the way”. Do they, if they lag 15 years behind?
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