The outcome of Apple and Nokia’s dueling patent infringement lawsuits could wait until mid-2012 for a verdict from the international trade court. The two companies swapped lawsuits in 2009, alleging the other with infringing key technologies.
The three-year timespan for the U.S. International Trade Commission sets the stage for what Reuters has characterized as “the spectre of a prolonged legal struggle.” In January, when the ITC launched a probe of Apple practices, CoM noted the legal battle could span three years. A month later, the ITC announced it had begun investigating Apple’s claims against the Finnish cell phone giant.
Recently, a court ruled lawsuits filed by Apple and Nokia in Delaware would have to wait until the outcome of the ITC claims. It has become common for companies alleging patent infringement to file claims before both the Washington, DC-based ITC and the Delaware courts.
Although Nokia initially listed 13 patents it claims Apple has infringed, that number has shrunk to 9, according to the news service. Nokia could gain $6 to $12 on each iPhone sold if Apple agrees to license the cell phone maker’s technology used in GSM, 3G and Wi-Fi transmission techniques, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Along with the Apple versus Nokia legal battle before the ITC, the U.S. International Trade Commission also has lawsuits from Kodak against Apple and Apple against Android handset-maker HTC on the docket.
[via AppleInsider]
