Apple and Ericsson are in a running dispute over pricing for patent licensing related to mobile telecommunications. Namely, the “critical” bits required to make it all work. Ericsson actually already sued Apple in the same court, as this licensing situation has been going on for years. And now Apple is firing back.
As first reported recently by Bloomberg Law, Apple has filed documentation to sue Ericsson over “strong-arm” tactics. Apple filed the lawsuit against the other company in federal court in Texas. Apple is accusing Ericsson of “violating its obligations to license patents essential to industry standards on fair rates and is making unreasonable demands.” And this is after an initial agreement was reached in 2015.
Since then, neither one of the companies have been able to come to mutual terms. So the legal battle continues. That original agreement covered various mobile telecommunications, including 3G and 4G (and even 2G). However, the negotiations are meant to include 5G technologies now, too.
Per the original report:
Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit accusing Ericsson AB of using “strong-arm tactics” in negotiations to renew a 2015 license for technology critical to industrywide telecommunications standards, particularly for 5G mobile networks.
The lawsuit, filed late Friday in federal court in Texas, alleges Ericsson is violating its obligations to license patents essential to industry standards on fair rates and is making unreasonable demands. Ericsson sued in the same court in October accusing Apple of negotiating in “bad faith.”
The 2015 agreement, which covered 2G, 3G and 4G technology and expires this month, was signed only after protracted litigation, and the dueling.
What happens next remains to be seen. Considering how long this has gone on, though, an outcome will hopefully be reached soon enough. One would assume both companies will come to terms eventually.