Ericsson is suing Apple over patents, claiming the Cupertino-based tech giant must have a license to use their technology in mobile devices.
Ericsson filed lawsuits in Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The Swedish tech company’s chief intellectual property officer Kasim Alfalahi believes Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is profiting from Ericsson’s technology without any license. He said their technology is used in many features of popular communication devices like iPhones and iPads. They believe the courts will help resolve the issue fairly.
Ericsson previously reached out to Apple (AAPL) for resolution
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) received an offer for arbitration from Ericsson to reach a global licensing agreement, but the offer since expired. Ericsson feels like it needs to take the issue to the next level.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has yet to comment on the matter, but the company did launch a counter lawsuit in California. The lawsuit claims Apple did not infringe on patents, nor does it owe royalties to the Swedish tech company. Ericsson specifically asked the European courts to determine if the iPhone maker used their patents. Should the ruling come out in Ericsson’s favor, they hope to set out injunctions preventing the Apple from selling its popular phones and tablets.
Ericsson’s goals in patent lawsuit
The proceedings in all three European countries refer to the 2G and 4G/LGE technologies. The patents also include designs for semiconductor components and non-cellular wireless communications. Ericsson added that they tried for two years to reach an agreement with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL); however, they failed to reach a reasonable deal. The patent holder aims to protect it’s research and designs, and this lawsuit is a part of that goal.
Ericsson and Nokia are the two largest owners of intellectual property in the smartphone industry. The former has a total of 37,000 granted patents. Since the company no longer makes cell phones, it built a strong business licensing patents to smartphone makers like Apple. Nokia launched a similar lawsuit against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) a few years ago.
