Apple faces $2bn mobile patent lawsuit in GermanyFebruary 6, 2014 - 15:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In Germany next week, Apple will have to defend itself against a patent lawsuit which could potentially cost the company over $2bn, ZDNet reports. In the lawsuit — which is for approximately €1.57bn in damages, plus interest — German patent-licensing company IPCom claims that Apple’s products infringe on a mobile patent that it owns. Specifically, the patent covers "how access from mobile phones can be controlled in congested wireless channels," according to a statement from a regional court in Mannheim, where the lawsuit is filed. Previously, Apple — along with a handful of other mobile players, including HTC and Nokia — challenged the patent in the European Patent Office. Last month, the office upheld the patent, but in a narrower form. IPCom has contended that the technology is essential to 3G standards, and as such any company that uses the technology should be subject to licensing agreements. IPCom is also suing for infringement based on a Germany-specific telecommunications patent that it owns, but has not yet determined a value for damages, according to ZDNet. The patents in question are part of a portfolio of over 1,000 patents that IPCom purchased in 2007 from Robert Bosch, a German electronics firm that manufactured mobile phones in the late 1990s but has since exited the market. Over the last few years, IPCom has been waging a patent war based on the portfolio in Germany and elsewhere, with varying success. Last July, IPCom reportedly landed a "low-to-medium triple-digit million euro" licensing fee from Deutsche Telekom to settle a number of patent infringement court cases. Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |