|
Ericsson said it had offered to enter into
arbitration with Apple to reach a global licensing agreement for
its patents, but that offer had now expired.
"Apple continues to profit from Ericsson's technology without
having a valid license in place," said Kasim Alfalahi, Chief
Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson.
"Our technology is used in many features and functionality of
today's communication devices. We are confident the courts in
Germany, the UK and the Netherlands will be able to help us
resolve this matter in a fair manner," he added.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the legal action in
the three European countries, which relates to 2G and 4G/LTE
mobile communications standards and non-standardized technology,
but referred to its statement in January.
"Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree with Ericsson on
a fair rate for their patents so, as a last resort, we are
asking the courts for help," part of that statement said.
Ericsson had already filed a complaint in mid-January in the
United States against Apple, responding to a lawsuit from the
iPhone maker.
Last year, smartphone maker Samsung Electronics Co agreed to pay
Ericsson $650 million along with years of royalties to end a
license dispute.
If the dispute with Apple also went Ericsson's way, the U.S.
firm would have to pay it between 2-6 billion Swedish crowns
($240-725 million) annually, analysts said, based on estimates
of levels of handset sales and royalty payments per phone.
(Reporting by Olof Swahnberg; Editing by Keith Weir and Mark
Potter)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
