What goes best with a lawsuit? Why, a counter lawsuit, of course. Those wacky hair-trigger litigators of America have been at it again, as Nokia sues Apple and Apple sues Nokia right back. What’s it all about? Good question, glad you asked. Patent infringement. You know how it is: one gadget dude comes out with something spiffy and another gadget dude claims that actually they invented half the cool stuff in the other gadget dude’s spiffy new device, so he gets the US International Trade Commission in to decide who’s right and who’s wrong.
And so it is with Apple vs Nokia, the big smartphone smackdown. Nokia started it last October, sueing Apple over the iPhone allegedly using its patented technologies without paying for them. Apple failed to see the funny side and countersued Nokia, claiming that some of Nokia’s mobile devices infringe upon nine Apple patents. Where does it go from here? Only the ITC and a platoon of highly paid lawyers can decide. [JW]
Engineering & Technology magazine 