Nokia Sues Apple for Patent Infringement

Nokia is brining its patent fight with Apple to court.

The Finnish phone maker on Wednesday announced it has filed "a number" of complaints against Apple in Germany and the U.S., claiming the Cupertino tech giant's products infringe on several of its patents. The actions — filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and regional courts in Dusseldorf, Mannheim, and Munich in Germany — affect 32 patents covering "display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding" technologies, Nokia said in a news release.

In a statement, the head of Nokia's patent business Ilkka Rahnasto said the legal action follows years of failed negations with Apple.

"Through our sustained investment in research and development, Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today's mobile devices, including Apple products," Rahnasto said. "After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple's use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights."

Apple in 2011 agreed to license some of Nokia's technology, but since then has declined subsequent licensing offers. Nokia said that Apple has been using its parented inventions in "many" products, without a license for them.

Apple did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

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Thanks to its acquisitions of NSN in 2013 and Alcatel-Lucent in 2016, Nokia now owns three intellectual property portfolios representing "more than 115 billion euros" of research and development over the past 20 years. The company said it has "tens of thousands" of patents in all, covering technologies used in smartphone, tablets, PCs, and other similar devices.

Nokia said it's currently in the process of filing additional actions in other areas.