Nokia loses 3G patent battle in High Court
U.K. court rules that Nokia is infringing a key 3G patent owned by IPCom, which is now seeking to halt sales of 3G Nokia phones if the phonemaker refuses to pay licensing fees.
Nokia is infringing on a key 3G patent that covers the prioritization of emergency and security services on mobile networks, the U.K. High Court has found.
IPCom, the Bavarian patent licensing company that owns the "268" patent, now intends to seek a ban on the sale of 3G Nokia phones in the U.K. unless Nokia agrees to pay IPCom licensing fees. IPCom is also claiming infringement in the German courts against companies including Nokia and HTC.
The patent was bought by IPCom in 2007 as part of carphone pioneer Bosch's intellectual property portfolio. IPCom has been fighting Nokia over the patent since then, losing against the Finnish firm in the U.K. courts in January 2010, when Justice Floyd found the patent was not valid. IPCom then applied to the court to allow the patent to be amended to make it more specific, and Floyd has now ruled the revised patent is "valid and infringed" by certain unnamed Nokia devices.
Read more of "Nokia loses 3G patent battle in High Court" at ZDNet UK.