Apple Inc. is suing cell phone maker Nokia Corp. for patent infringement, a countermove to Nokia's earlier suit against technologies used in Apple's iPhone. Apple's lawsuit claims Nokia is infringing on 13 of Apple's patents, and says the Finland-based company chose to "copy the iPhone," especially its user interface, to make up for its declining share of the high-end phone market.
Nokia's lawsuit, filed in October, claims that Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple infringes on 10 of its patents covering both phone calls and Wi-Fi access.
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The patents Apple alleges Nokia is infringing deal with, among other things: connecting a phone to a computer, teleconferencing, menus on a touch screen, power conservation in chips, and "pattern and color abstraction in a graphical user interface." The company also denies Nokia's claims of patent infringement.
In a statement, Nokia said it will review the claims and respond "in due course."
Apple said Nokia fell behind in the smart phone market because it chose to focus on old-fashioned cell phones with conventional user interfaces at a time when "smart" phones were growing increasingly popular.
Countersuits are a staple of patent litigation, which often ends in cross-licensing agreements. Nokia said in October that 40 phone manufacturers _ but not Apple _ have licensed the patents in its lawsuit.
Both suits were filed in federal court in Delaware.
U.S.-traded shares of Nokia rose 35 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $12.91 in afternoon trading, and Apple's shares fell $2.14 to $194.29.
Read more: http://techland.com/2009/12/11/apple-countersues-nokia-over-phone-patents/#ixzz0ZYO07nPH
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