Qualcomm hits back in Nokia patent saga

Qualcomm has hit out at Nokia in their long-running legal tangle, accusing the handset maker of "meritless claims" and flip-flopping in its latest suit against the US company.

Nokia recently lodged a complaint in both Germany and the Netherlands claiming Qualcomm's patents pertaining to Texas Instruments chips were exhausted.

Qualcomm has now accused the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer of a u-turn, citing Nokia's willingness to pay royalties in previous years as an indication it previously supported the idea that Texas Instruments licences did not include royalties for Qualcomm's intellectual property.

"Nokia's actions in Germany and the Netherlands are merely the latest in a series of attempts by Nokia to avoid or delay a determination on the merits that Nokia's GSM/GPRS and Edge subscriber products infringe Qualcomm’s patents," the company said.

The pair have a history - Qualcomm is suing Nokia for patent infringement in China, France, Germany, Italy, the US and the UK. Nokia has filed suit in Europe and lodged a complaint with the EC.