WRAL Tech Wire

Global patent war: It’s Nokia vs. Apple

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo CEO of Nokia speaks during Nokia Capital Markets Day at Dipoli Conference Centre in Espoo, Finland earlier this month. Nokia Corp. expects the global mobile phone market to grow by 10 percent in 2010, suggesting the industry is recovering from a global recession that has also hit handset sales. However, the world's largest cell phone maker cautioned that its own market share volume, currently at some 38 percent, would be "flat" next year, but added that it expects the value of its market share to be up "slightly."(AP Photo / Pekka Sakki, Lehtikuva)

On The Web

• Nokia
• Apple
• Local Tech Wire at Twitter - sign up today for latest news alerts

Site Search

Get the latest news alerts: Follow LTW at Twitter.

By Andrew Vanacore, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — Nokia Corp. is broadening a legal dispute it already has with Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) over the iPhone, saying almost all of the company's other products also violate the Finnish phone maker's patents.

Nokia said Tuesday that it has filed a complaint against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, alleging Apple's iPhone, iPods and computers all violate Nokia's intellectual property rights.

At issue are key features found in Apple products, including aspects of user interface, cameras, antenna and power management technologies, Nokia said. The company claims that the technologies in question help cut manufacturing costs, reduce gadget size and prolong battery life.

A household name in Asia and Europe, Nokia is a smaller player in the United States, where its smart phones face tough competition from Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices. Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, has cautioned that its own market share volume, currently at some 38 percent, would be flat next year.

The company, which is based in Espoo, Finland, has already sued Apple in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del., over the massively popular iPhone, claiming it infringes on 10 of its patents related to phone calls and Wi-Fi access.

Apple has denied the charges and this month countered with its own lawsuit in the Delaware court, saying Nokia has copied aspects of the iPhone in its devices. Apple claims Nokia is violating its patent rights on technology for connecting phones to computers, teleconferencing and touch-screen menus, among other things.

Federal lawsuits allow companies to seek monetary damages and court orders to end certain practices. With complaints before the U.S. International Trade Commission, companies could get an order for Customs to stop imports of products made with the disputed technology. Many of Apple's products and parts are made overseas.

Apple, which has its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Editor's Blog

The latest blog posts from our WRAL Tech Wire and WRAL editors. Read more articles…