Nokia might have lost part one of its patent battle against Apple, but the Finnish vendor is aiming to win the war with a fresh batch of lawsuits in the US.
The firm now claims Apple’s smartphones infringe pretty much all its patents covering mobile phones, portable music devices, tablet PCs and even regular PCs. It’s latest filings with the US International Trade Commission adds seven more patents to existing suits, bringing the total tally to 46 patents.
Nokia filed the fresh suits just days after the ITC ruled in Apple’s favor on five of the ten patents cited in the Finnish vendor’s original 2009 action. While that preliminary decision appears to have triggered the latest legal action, the vendor states it will wait until reading the full judgement before deciding what to do next.
Paul Melin, IP vice president at Nokia, noted the firm’s patents date back over a decade “before Apple made its first iPhone,” and said its rival “must stop building its products using Nokia’s proprietary innovation.”
While Apple has won the first round of litigation, the war of the vendors won’t be over soon. Two of Nokia’s original claims have yet to be heard by the ITC, and there are a raft of Apple countersuits to be worked through before final judgements can be made.