Nokia: Qualcomm should be patently exhausted

New front in European war

By Jo Best, 19 March 2007 11:45

NEWS

Nokia and Qualcomm's theatre of combat has widened - the long-running patent spat between the pair has now been taken to Germany and the Netherlands.

The handset maker has filed a patent exhaustion case against Qualcomm in both countries, asking the country's courts to declare that Qualcomm's European patents are exhausted in respect to products placed on the EU market with a Qualcomm licence, in this instance chipsets supplied by Texas Instruments.

Should the courts agree, Qualcomm could not enforce its patents in relation to Nokia handsets that carry Texas Instruments chipsets holding Qualcomm licences.

The pair have had an enduring dispute over patents, after negotiations between the two companies over renewing a licensing agreement broke down.

The legal battle is ongoing in both the US and the UK, although the action taken by Qualcomm at the US International Trade Commission was recently suspended.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

Log in or create your silicon.com account below

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy.

Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Membership FAQ