Apple has fired a legal volley at Ericsson amid its ongoing dispute over pricing for patent licensing of “critical” mobile telecommunications technology. Ericsson had earlier sued Apple in the same court, saying the Cupertino firm of negotiating in “bad faith.”
Bloomberg Law reports that Apple filed its lawsuit in a federal court in Texas on Friday. The iPhone maker accuses Ericsson of “violating its obligations to license patents essential to industry standards on fair rates and is making unreasonable demands.”
Apple and Ericsson have waged an ongoing legal battle for years. when negotiating a licensing deal in 2015, the companies sued each other. This ultimately led to Ericsson asking to have the iPhone banned from US sale.
An agreement reached in 2015 is basically the deal the two companies are attempting to renew now, leading to a new round of lawsuits.
Apple is accusing Ericsson of “strong-arm tactics” in negotiations for this patented communication technology. The original agreement covered networking technologies for 2G, 3G, and 4G. The new deal must also include 5G technology as well.
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.
(Via 9to5Mac)