14 DAY TRIAL // The ongoing feud between Apple and Ericsson seems to be escalating to new heights. Back in January, Apple filed a lawsuit against the telecom gear maker over royalty disputes involving LTE (4G) wireless technology licensed by the latter per-device-sold.
A month later, Ericsson also filed nine complaints against Apple and made a disquieting request with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) asking for the ban of Apple products including the all popular iPhone and iPad from the US market.
Now, a new piece of information coming out of Mac Rumors claims that the ITC has decided to go ahead and investigate Apple following the complaints made by Ericsson, which accuses the Cupertino tech giant of violating its patents.
Apple used to have a deal with the Stockholm-based mobile solution provider over patented technologies that are necessary for 2G and 4G/LTE telecom standards, which expired in mid-January. Since Apple felt like the fees were too high, the two companies had to reach another agreement. So the dispute continued in court.
Apple has been placed under investigation
Patent lawsuits can be complex and take years to settle, so companies are more likely to turn to the ITC, an institution that acts faster and even has the power to ban certain products from being imported in the US. An important ban puts an active strain on the defendant, pushing it into a settlement.
Should the International Trade Commission’s investigation find any evidence that Apple infringed on Ericsson’s patents, we could end up seeing the Cupertino-based company in a position of not being able to sell its devices on its home market.
Even so, the launch of an investigation by the ITC doesn’t translate into a guilty verdict.
The trade commission is in charge of protecting the US market from unfair trade practices and is widely regarded as being able to provide fast rulings. So it appears Ericsson is hoping to settle this issue fast and move on.
The Swedish company holds over 35,000 patents worldwide and is currently involved in around 100 patent sharing agreements with important tech manufacturers around the globe.