Why is Nokia Suing Apple Over Alleged Patent Violations 2+ Years After the iPhone’s Launch?

Chart courtesy of Yahoo! Finance – Blue/top AAPL ; Red/bottom NOK

Nokia press release:

Nokia sues Apple in Delaware District Court for infringement of Nokia GSM, UMTS and WLAN patents

The press release notes that the lawsuit involves ten Nokia patents which are already licensed by about 40 companies. A quote from Nokia’s VP for Legal and Intellectual Property, in the same press release, states: By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia’s intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation. I assume from this that Nokia and Apple have discussed this already and have not come to terms.

The Silicon Alley Insider’s take on this lawsuit is…

Lame Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Patent Infringement

Sometimes a picture can tell a story. The Year-To-Date share price performance by Apple (AAPL) and Nokia (NOK) as seen in the chart above might provide insight regarding Nokia’s motivation.

Personally, I hope this can be resolved quickly to each firm’s satisfaction so they can both get back to concentrating on designing, building and selling great products.

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