Ericsson continues Apple patent suit in Europe

Continuing a legal battle that began in January with Apple, Reuters reports that Ericsson has now filed patent infringement lawsuits in Germany, Britain, and the Netherlands. The legal actions, which concern licensing fees and royalties over LTE patents, were escalated in February as the Swedish company filed seven additional lawsuits in the U.S. and asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate. The dispute began after the two companies were unable to come to an agreement on appropriate licensing arrangements, even after offers of arbitration. Ericsson now claims that Apple is infringing on as many as 41 patents related to mobile device communications, user interfaces, battery conservation, and the operating system itself, while Apple insists that Ericsson is demanding excessive royalties for its LTE patents and that the patents are “not essential to industry cellular standards.”