Nokia Accuses Google’s Nexus 7 's Infringement on its patents

Google and its partners are knee deep in patent disputes. And this time, instead of a certain Cupertino company, it’s Nokia on the offensive. Less than a week after Google unveiled its new Nexus 7 tablet, Nokia has made claims that the Nexus 7 infringes on some of its patents.

The news came only days after Apple won not one, but two injunctions against Samsung Android devices. Both the Galaxy 10.1 tablet and the Galaxy Nexus, Google’s flagship smartphone, may face U.S. sales bans.

The Nexus 7, however, won’t necessarily face injunction. Nokia has yet to file any suits against Google or Asus, the OEM responsible for manufacturing the Nexus 7. Nokia is much more likely to request that Google and Asus pay the appropriate licensing fees than bring either one to court.

“Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers,” a Nokia spokesperson told Wired in an e-mail. “Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio. Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license.”

It's unclear, however, which of Nokia’s patents the Nexus 7 infringes. The Inquirer reports that it could have to do with patents regarding IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. The Nexus 7 comes in a Wi-Fi only model, without cellular data options.

Google and Asus did not respond with comment by the time of publication.

Considering the financial hurdles Nokia currently faces, it makes sense for the company to leverage its 30,000-strong patent portfolio. This could be the beginning of Nokia’s patent mining efforts, as it waits for Windows Phone to pay off.

from wired