The never ending battle over patents continues in the mobile industry, more specifically the case between Apple and Nokia. Both are suing each other for infringing patents, and Nokia just announced that they’ve found even more patents that Apple has violated, bringing the total to 37.
“These actions add 13 further Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple in the US International Trade Commission and the Delaware and Wisconsin Federal courts,” said Paul Melin, Vice President, Intellectual Property at Nokia. “The Nokia inventions protected by these patents include several which enable compelling user experiences. For example, using a wiping gesture on a touch screen to navigate content, or enabling access to constantly changing services with an on-device app store, both filed more than ten years before the launch of the iPhone.”
Nokia filed a suit in the UK for 4 patents relating to touch user interface, on-device app stores, signal noise suppression and modulator structures. Then 7 patents in Dusseldorf, Germany for patents related to touch user interface, antenna structures, messaging functionality and chipsets. Another 5 patents in Mannheim, Germany related to on-device app stores, caller ID, display illumination and the integration of multiple radios. And finally in the Netherlands, 2 patents related to signal noise suppression and data card functionality.
For once I’d like to write a story about Nokia doing something other than cutting jobs or suing other companies. When are they going to make something cool again versus attacking everyone for patents that they themselves are saying are not “essential to any wireless communication standard”? There’s a promise that in 2011 we’ll see a completely new user interface be developed on top of Maemo, but then again we’re likely to see new things come along in Android 3.0, 4.0, and even the next version of iOS that will raise the bar even higher than where it is today.