Apple Inc. filed a new patent-infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Jan. 15 to ban Nokia from importing mobile phones, sparking a battle between two of the world’s leading smartphone makers.
“Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours,” said Bruce Sewell, Apple’s general counsel and senior vice president, in a release.
Finland-based Nokia, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, also lodged its own complaint in December at the ITC, seeking to ban imports of Apple’s iPhone, iPod, and MacBook products. The legal proceedings against Apple claim that “virtually all of [Apple’s] mobile phones, portable music players, and computers” had used Nokia patents. Apple, on the other hand, is alleging that the Finnish firm had replicated particular features of Apple’s iPhone itself and violated 13 of its patents, according to the BBC.
It is almost inevitable for the patent debates to surface given that the smartphone market is the industry’s most competitive and fastest-growing area. According to Bloomberg, Nokia’s share of the market fell to 39.3 percent in the third quarter from 42.3 percent a year earlier, while Cupertino, California-based Apple and Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion Ltd. gained market share, according to research firm Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut.
“Nokia will study the complaint when it is received and continue to defend itself vigorously,” Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant said by text message to Bloomberg. “However this does not alter the fact that Apple has failed to agree to appropriate terms for using Nokia technology and has been seeking a free ride on Nokia’s innovation since it shipped the first iPhone in 2007.”
The Eastman Kodak Company started 2010 with an official complaint to the ITC, also claiming that Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s camera-enabled BlackBerry devices infringe a Kodak patent that covers technology related to a method for previewing images.
Renowned for creating the world’s first digital camera, Kodak launched two lawsuits against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York in an announcement on Monday, which claimed that the infringement of patents related to digital cameras and certain computer processes.
“Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio,” said Laura G. Quatela, chief intellectual property officer, and Vvce president, Eastman Kodak Company in a statement.
“In the case of Apple and RIM, we’ve had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology.
On Dec. 17, in an action involving Samsung and Kodak, an ITC Administrative Law Judge issued a ruling declaring that the Kodak patent covering color image preview was valid and enforceable, and that Samsung’s camera-enabled mobile devices infringed upon that Kodak patent.
“Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours,” said Bruce Sewell, Apple’s general counsel and senior vice president, in a release.
Finland-based Nokia, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, also lodged its own complaint in December at the ITC, seeking to ban imports of Apple’s iPhone, iPod, and MacBook products. The legal proceedings against Apple claim that “virtually all of [Apple’s] mobile phones, portable music players, and computers” had used Nokia patents. Apple, on the other hand, is alleging that the Finnish firm had replicated particular features of Apple’s iPhone itself and violated 13 of its patents, according to the BBC.
It is almost inevitable for the patent debates to surface given that the smartphone market is the industry’s most competitive and fastest-growing area. According to Bloomberg, Nokia’s share of the market fell to 39.3 percent in the third quarter from 42.3 percent a year earlier, while Cupertino, California-based Apple and Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion Ltd. gained market share, according to research firm Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut.
“Nokia will study the complaint when it is received and continue to defend itself vigorously,” Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant said by text message to Bloomberg. “However this does not alter the fact that Apple has failed to agree to appropriate terms for using Nokia technology and has been seeking a free ride on Nokia’s innovation since it shipped the first iPhone in 2007.”
Kodak Also Sues
The Eastman Kodak Company started 2010 with an official complaint to the ITC, also claiming that Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s camera-enabled BlackBerry devices infringe a Kodak patent that covers technology related to a method for previewing images.
Renowned for creating the world’s first digital camera, Kodak launched two lawsuits against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York in an announcement on Monday, which claimed that the infringement of patents related to digital cameras and certain computer processes.
“Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio,” said Laura G. Quatela, chief intellectual property officer, and Vvce president, Eastman Kodak Company in a statement.
“In the case of Apple and RIM, we’ve had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology.
On Dec. 17, in an action involving Samsung and Kodak, an ITC Administrative Law Judge issued a ruling declaring that the Kodak patent covering color image preview was valid and enforceable, and that Samsung’s camera-enabled mobile devices infringed upon that Kodak patent.
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