[BiRDBRAiN]

It seems the world is bult to support the lawyers

Nokia accuses Apple of stealing iPhone tech - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I feel a round of iPhone envy coming on?

[kevinnugent]

Nokia sues Apple over iPhone patent breaches

The problem here is Nokia is not a loopy litigious lunatic. There's got to be something to this.

[Japester]

Nokia's doing badly, Apple's doing well. I think Nokia's a bastard for pulling this.

[marc]

Originally Posted by Japester

Nokia's doing badly, Apple's doing well. I think Nokia's a bastard for pulling this.

I don't think the patents being awarded are really benefitting the tech industry or consumers. I hope the patent system gets an overhaul soon. It's getting ridiculous.

[ChrisR_12]

Looks like the world need to make a lawyers day

Is it just me or is there a lawsuit every damn week?

[BiRDBRAiN]

Not loopy and litigious?

What's the bet this turns out to be another "SCO" debacle.

If they win who else will they go after? Surely they targeted Apple due to the "how can we shoot and miss a barn"-factor?

[shivstar]

I'm not sure some of you know how the telecommunications market works.

Bodies like ETSI and 3GPP are made up of representatives from major industry companies (such as Nokia, Motorola, etc). Each company develops and patents their technology and presents it to the bodies to become a "standard" (like GSM). The technology is reviewed, voted for and if adopted as a standard ANYONE who wants to use the standard in their devices must pay a royalty to the patent holder... In this case Nokia.

Nokia are well within their rights to ensure their patented technology is being used under license. Every other company (SonyEricsson, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, etc) that uses GSM or 3G standards pays the relevant companies for using the technology. Just because it is part of a ETSI standard it does not mean it is free to use by anybody, it just means it is a standard which the majority of the industry has agreed upon.

When Apple makes mistakes like this it really highlights how young they are to the mobile phone industry. It is not about market share or sales figures, it is about ensuring the developers of technology are adequately compensated.

[bullrout]

I found this interesting.

[entropy]

I think they are probably nokia patents all right. it seems the dispute is on how much Apple has to pay. Nokia want a percentage of the value of the iphone, Apple will only pay a fixed (low) price per unit. Negotiations have dragged on, so nokia has gotten jack of it and sued. Apple might not be unhappy as it will now be mediated.

[Kirium]

Originally Posted by bullrout

I found this interesting.

Why and which part? It's a garbage opinion piece that's just as biased an any other fanboy ranting, only written with an air of authority in its selective use of supporting arguments (many of which are irrelevant).

This article from ZDnet is slightly more balanced for an opinion piece but pretty much sums it up.

1. Nokia have been part of the development of wireless standards like GSM, UMTS etc, and hold intellectual property for those standards. (See shivstar's post)

2. Reports suggest that it seems like Nokia and Apple can't agree on a price for licensing of the standards in use in the iPhone. Someone has reported Nokia are seeking around $12 per handset. Apple clearly want to pay less, however the licensing cost for per handset can reportedly be up around $25 according to ZDnet.

3. Just because Nokia recently reported a slump in profit and market share and Apple are flush with cash and growing market share with the iPhone, Nokia's defence of their IP does not become any less valid. If it is a case of Apple not paying for the use of wireless standards, Nokia have spent billions co-developing those standards and are entitled to protect them when others don't suitably compensate them for use of that technology.

4. Fanboys are idiots.