Nokia hits back at Qualcomm suit

The frosty relationship between Nokia and Qualcomm didn't thaw when Qualcomm decided to sue Nokia claiming patent infringement. Qualcomm's VP of Europe Andrew Gilbert told silicon.com that the handset maker had "left [Qualcomm] no choice" by refusing to negotiate with the company about licences it holds pertaining to GPRS and EDGE.

Now, Nokia has hit back against its accuser, saying the company only found out it was being sued when the media were informed.

The device maker said in a statement: "Nokia has today learned from a Qualcomm press release that Qualcomm has filed a complaint for alleged patent infringement against Nokia."

The statement added: "Nokia is not surprised that Qualcomm has once again chosen to litigate. Nokia is yet to receive a copy of the complaint or analyse the details; therefore, Nokia cannot comment on the substantive aspects of the claims. Based on our current information, Nokia does not believe that Qualcomm is entitled to an injunction."

Should Qualcomm win an injunction, it would be able to stop Nokia selling any devices which use the patents in question.

Nokia also criticised Qualcomm's reputation in intellectual property - a main revenue driver for the company which earns a royalty on every 3G handset sold - saying as Nokia itself owns around a quarter of "patents essential to the GSM standard", then "Qualcomm's position in GSM is clearly inferior to Nokia's".