Nokia to face Interdigital patent case again

FINISH PHONE MAKER Nokia will once again have to defend patent infringement claims by Interdigital following a successful appeal.

Interdigital had alleged that Nokia's handsets infringed two of its patents and took Nokia to the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC had thrown out the case but the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has decided to throw the case back to the ITC after rejecting Nokia's claim that Interdigital did not satisfy domestic industry requirements.

William Merritt, president and CEO of Interdigital said, "This ruling represents a significant step towards our stated goal of achieving $800 million in sustainable annual revenue from licensing in the next three to five years. Technologically, it validates InterDigital's role at the heart of the future of wireless technology. From a business perspective, it underscores the strength of our licensing model and practices, and our continued focus on creating shareholder value as the market transitions to LTE [Long Term Evolution] and beyond."

Interdigital said that it will seek an injunction against Nokia importing any of its products that use 3G WCDMA technology. As if to pre-empt Nokia's move to get its patents invalidated, the firm said a former chief administrative law judge had found that Interdigital's patents were valid and enforceable.

Nokia and the ITC have 45 days to petition for a rehearing of the appellate court's decision. µ