Finnish phones giant, Nokia, claims Apple stole multiple technologies including touch user interface and data card technology as the battle between the two mobile giants rages on.
The legal battle is not just tied to one court, however, with Nokia making the claims in three separate legal jurisdictions throughout Europe including the U.K, Germany and Holland and is the latest in a series of patent litigations made by the mobile phone maker.
The litany of thirteen patented technology thefts Apple is alleged to have made include touch user interface, on-device app stores, messaging, caller ID services, display illumination, signal noise suppression and data card functionality, all of which Nokia claims to have filed patents for over 10 years ago.
The functionalities are currently part and parcel of Apple’s iPhone, IPhone 4, iPad and iPod devices.
The hand wiping screen functionality, which is now a mainstay of all Smartphones is also on the list of self-made functions Nokia are claiming ownership of, and say they are now owed royalties.
German courts alone saw a total of seven patent infringements put before it, mainly relating to touch interface technology, according to a report in The New York Times.
“The Nokia inventions protected by these patents include several which enable compelling user experiences,” said Paul Melin, Nokia VP in charge of intellectual property.
Late last year, Nokia filed the case at a Delaware court in the US on seeking damages for Apple’s alleged infringement of seven patents in most of its products.
Apple countersued, claiming they had misappropriated thirteen of their technologies.
The suit coincided with a claim filed with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) over the same patents, which Nokia again alleged Steve Jobs’ company infringed in “virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, and computers” sold.
The brand has suffered in the Smartphone sector with the onslaught of rivals Apple, who arrived to the market in 2007 with its revolutionary iPhone, although it still trails behind them in smartphones sales.
