Ericsson Sues Apple for Patent Infringement to Defend Fair Licensing System
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On February 26, Ericsson says that it filed two
complaints with the International Trade Commission (ITC) and seven
complaints in the United States District Court for the Eastern District
of Texas against Apple asserting 41 patents covering many aspects of
Apple's iPhones and iPads.
The patents include standard essential patents related to the 2G and 4G/LTE
standards as well as other patents that are critical to features and
functionality of Apple devices such as the design of semiconductor components,
user interface software, location services and applications, as well as the iOS
operating system. Ericsson seeks exclusion orders in the ITC proceedings and
damages and injunctions in the District Court actions.
Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at 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. 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."
Last month, Ericsson filed a suit in the Eastern District of Texas in order
to receive an independent assessment on whether Ericsson's global licensing
offer to Apple complies with Ericsson's commitment to offer fair, reasonable and
non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms. Apple also filed a lawsuit asking
the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to find
that it does not infringe a small subset of Ericsson's patents, a claim that
Ericsson disputes.
Apple's global license agreement for Ericsson's mobile technology expired
last month, and Apple has declined to take a new license offered on FRAND terms.
Ericsson made several attempts to find a fair solution, including an offer for
both parties to be bound by a decision on fair licensing terms by a United
States federal court.
Ericsson says that Apple has refused all attempts, so it has filed these
infringement complaints to defend the industry's long-standing principle of
technology sharing.
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