Nokia Says Nexus 7 May Infringe On Patents, Offers Solution
Nokia is claiming that the Nexus 7 may infringe on the company’s patents, but they are willing to offer Google and Asus a solution without having to go to court.
The Nexus 7 was launched last week at Google I/O, and Nokia says that the tablet uses some of its intellectual property. A spokesperson for the company told TheInquirer.net that neither Google nor Asus licensed the technology from them. However, Nokia has extended an olive branch to the two companies and hopes to work out the patent issues without any legal action.
The spokesperson, who was not named in the article, also said, “Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers… Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license.”
According to Fosspatents.com, a blog that covers software patent news and issues, the culprits for the patent infringement are likely related to IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. It is well known that Nokia owns those particular patents, and the company is already engaged in a similar battle with ViewSonic in Germany. In addition to ViewSonic, Nokia is also suing HTC and Research in Motion (RIM) over 45 hardware and software technologies. The lawsuit has yet to be settled.
While Nokia may not be selling phones the way it used to, particularly the new Lumia which has failed to live up to the company’s sales expectations, it has the third-largest patent portfolio after Qualcomm Inc. and Ericsson. Nokia’s portfolio reportedly includes over 10,000 patents, and the company earns $654 million a year in patent royalties.
Last year, Nokia won a two-year battle against Apple over intellectual property disputes, and Apple agreed to a one-time settlement and continuous licensing fees. If Google and Asus do not license the patents Nokia accuses them of infringing upon with the Nexus 7, the pair may find themselves in a similar situation.
