Ericsson and Apple in legal showdown/AFP
STOCKHOLM, Jan 14- Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson said Wednesday it had filed a complaint against Apple in a US court over the technology giant’s use of its technology in smartphones.
The complaint came after Apple filed a case Monday against the Swedish company, claiming that Ericsson’s LTE wireless technology patents are not essential to industry standards and that the Swedish company was demanding excessive fees to renew a licensing agreement.
Ericsson said it was bringing the counter case in order to get an independent assessment of its global licensing offer since Apple refused to accept it.
“Our goal is to reach a mutually beneficial resolution with Apple,” Kasim Alfalahi, Ericsson’s head of intellectual property, said in a statement, adding that the company hoped to continue its partnership with Apple.
“We believe it is reasonable to get fair compensation from companies benefiting from the development we have made over the course of the last 30 years.”
Ericsson no longer makes mobile phones but builds equipment for mobile networks, and has more than 35,000 technology patents and 100 patent-licensing agreements worldwide.
