Nokia expands patent row with Apple in Europe
A corporate logo is displayed at the Nokia flagship store in Helsinki September 29, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Bob Strong
By Chris Borowski
(Reuters) - Nokia, the world's top cellphone maker by volume, on Thursday opened new fronts in Europe in its patent war with iPhone maker Apple, launching lawsuits in Germany and the Netherlands.
The 13 new complaints for using Nokia's technology are part of an escalating battle between the two rivals in the smartphone arena that started more than a year ago when Nokia filed its first case in the United States.
Apple, which was not immediately available for comment, has also sued Nokia over patents in the United States and Britain. It remains engaged in patents rows with Motorola, HTC Corp and other mobile phone vendors using Google's Android operating system.
Apple's iPhone and devices running on Android have carved out a large chunk of the lucrative and quickly expanding smartphone market, in large at the expense of Nokia, which has stuck mainly to its old workhorse Symbian software.
"Nokia is on its back foot and may see any potential legal fight as a way of striking back at Apple," said Neil Mawston, the head of wireless device strategies at the Strategy Analytics research group.
"Patent fights are becoming an increasing part of the landscape with companies seeking any strategic advantage possible," he added.
Seeking to regain its footing, Nokia hired former Microsoft executive Stephen Elop three months ago. He is expected to provide his new vision for the company in February.
Nokia's shares have fallen 15 percent this year as its share of the smartphone market sank, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Technology index has gained 13 percent. It has also struggled with the rollouts its latest answers to the iPhone -- the N8 and the E7 models.
The stock slipped 0.3 percent in late afternoon trade in Helsinki, while shares in Apple were 0.1 percent higher in early New York trade.
Nokia's new filings accuse Apple of breaching Nokia's patents related to several technologies, including the touch user interface, on-device app stores, signal noise suppression and modular structure.
"These actions add 13 further Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple in the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Delaware and Wisconsin Federal courts," Paul Melin, Nokia Vice President for Intellectual Property, said in a statement.
Nokia filed its first infringement suit at the ITC in October 2009, which was referred to a mediator a year later. Analysts expect the legal tussle to drag on for years.
"These types of disputes tend to take a long time and expand," said Pohjola Bank analyst Hannu Rauhala. "This is just another round."
(Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York and Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki; Editing by Will Waterman and David Cowell)
Credit: Reuters (www.reuters.com)
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