As a key trial between Qualcomm and Nokia begins today over WCDMA patents, Nokia gained some ammunition in Germany. The German Federal Patent Court ruled that a Qualcomm patent pertaining to GSM phones was invalid and threw out Qualcomm's case against Nokia. The lawsuit was filed back in 2006, but delayed at Qualcomm's request.
"Nokia believes that this case is illustrative of the ongoing patent debate around open standardization. As an increasing number of technologies are integrated into new products some patent owners try to claim high compensation for patents that lack merit," Nokia said in a statement.
A U.K. court and the International Trade Commission have also ruled in Nokia's favor, saying Qualcomm's GSM patents are invalid. The GSM patent lawsuits between the two companies primarily stem from the impasse the two have over a patent agreement that expired in April 2007 pertaining to royalties Qualcomm charges for WCDMA chips. Both companies have filed a flurry of patent lawsuits against each other for both GSM and WCDMA in various U.S. states and across Europe.
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