Ericsson Is Suing Apple Over Patent Licensing; Wants To Block iPhones Sales In the US
This is not a good week for Apple. The company just lost a $533 million patent case to Smartflash and now it's being sued by Ericsson over patent licensing.
The Swedish multinational provider of communications technology and services is suing Apple over "critical functions" in its devices. The announced legal actions relate to Ericsson-owned patents.
"The company has filed two complaints with the US International Trade Commission and filed seven lawsuits in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against the iPad and iPhone maker, alleging that 41 patents in total are being infringed on," CNet reported.
Ericsson has also asked the trade commission to block sales of iPhones in the US market.
The filed patents are technology related to 2G and 4G/LTE standards, semiconductor components, user interface software, location services and applications, as well as the iOS operating system itself.
"By refusing Ericsson's fair and reasonable licensing offer for patented technology used in Apple smartphones and tablets, Apple harms the entire market and reduces the incentive to share innovation," Ericsson said.
"Apple's products benefit from the technology invented and patented by Ericsson's engineers. Features that consumers now take for granted -- like being able to livestream television shows or access their favorite apps from their phone -- rely on the technology we have developed," Kasim Alfalahi, chief intellectual property officer at Ericsson said in a statement. "We are committed to sharing our innovations and have acted in good faith to find a fair solution. Apple currently uses our technology without a license and therefore we are seeking help from the court and the ITC."
