Apple Launches Nuclear Patent Counterstrike On Nokia
from the just-like-Thomas-Jefferson-envisioned dept
We've discussed in the past how many large companies now view patent accumulation as something of a nuclear stockpiling technique. That is, if you accumulate enough patents, other large companies won't sue you for patent infringement, because you'll just sue them right back for infringing on your patents. As ridiculous (and obviously against the basis of the very patent system) as this is, it has certainly limited some patent lawsuits between large tech companies. But every so often, a nuclear battle breaks out. Earlier this year, Nokia, jealous over the success of the iPhone, sued Apple. Apple, of course, has bragged about all those patents it holds on the iPhone... so... the obvious next step has occurred, and Apple is lobbing back charges of patent infringement against Nokia. In the end, the two sides will probably work out some sort of settlement, but the whole process is a huge waste of time and resources. Wouldn't we all be better off if they just focused on competing in the marketplace by creating better products?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: mobile phones, nuclear strike, patents
Companies: apple, nokia
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Competing througCreating better products?
kinda regards,
the legal team.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Why didn't Apple just choose the Qualcomm MSM chip family from the get go? It had all the licensing agreements in place. Heh. Random thoughts...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
I suppose I'm a little confused when Nokia tries to be the victim and apparently outsources it's own chip fab to Qualcomm.
Regardless of the problems Infineon gave Apple, Nokia will need to pay Apple for infringement of their IP.
Perhaps they'll both find a middle ground but only after they understand that iPhone exists because of an Infineon Spec, and because of Infineon's inability to acquire proper licenses from Nokia, it may be in turn, more Infineon's fault than Apple's fault.
Perhaps Nokia should be asking Infineon for royalties... No?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
what.....and put the parasites out of work?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re:
or are you spewing
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Competing in the marketplace?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Yea, it's all high school to you isn't it? Nokia gave patents to the standards bodies with the agreement that adopters would license them. Apple, too busy with illegal option backdating problems, choose to thumb their nose at the process that all other device manufacturers follow.
Apple, standing on the shoulders of giants and pretending they are just really tall. Absurd.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Competing in the marketplace?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Competing in the marketplace?
What are you talking about? Nokia had smartphones on the market several years before Apple even thought about the iPhone. They all run Symbian, which still holds the highest market share of any smartphone OS.
The only thing you can credit Apple for is making smartphones consumer-friendly. They took what was largely existing technology and slapped a nice coat of paint on top of it. They then spent a fortune on marketing and making the device "cool", and now it has a mass following.
Sure, the iPhone is a great device. It does what most people want, in a way that's easy to learn. But from a technology standpoint it's well behind the curve, and Apple's policy on what apps they allow on the store is arbitrary at best. You're pretty much locked in to doing what Apple want, in the way they want you to do it. I just can't stand that.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Patent fight between Nokia and Apple
It is another example of "welfare for the wealthy", and is the real reason the IP system doesn't work.
It is also why I left mainstream patenting and now concentrate on small entity patenting (which does require there be an invention, and costs little to defend).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Preemptive nukes
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]