Nokia vs Apple: Nokia takes legal action against iPhone

Nokia has today taken legal action against Apple and taken the gloves off in the mobile phone wars. The complaint was filed with the Delaware Federal District Court claiming that the iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards.

“The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for” said Ilkka Rahnasto, Vice President, Legal & Intellectual Property at Nokia.

“Apple is also expected to follow this principle. 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.”

There has been no reaction from Apple yet.

This comes on the back of Apple announcing rising profits of £1bn in the three months to September 26th, just a few days ago. This is in part due to the huge success of the iPhone this year and the increase in computer sales.

Nokia released just last week its first quarter loss for more than a decade. While Apple have been excelling during recession with their focus on premium products Nokia has struggled as competition has gotten stiffer from Blackberry, HTC and Palm with the recent release of their new Pre.