Ericsson is taking its legal battle against Apple to the United Kingdom. The patent infringement suit likely covers the 12 separate patents included in similar disputes between the company pertaining to the use of its 2G, 3G, and 4G technology in iPhones.
Ericsson-Apple 5G patent dispute is now being fought in six countries
As a refresher, in October 2021, Ericsson sued Apple at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas to accelerate the 5G licensing negotiations. In turn. Apple in December 2021, filed a lawsuit against Ericsson accusing the company of using “strong-arm tactics” during negotiations over 5G network licensing.
n January, Apple was sued once again for continuing to use the Swedish company’s 5G patents in the iPhone after its seven-year license agreement expired. In February, a Texas judge settled on a court date of June 2023 for Ericsson’s suit against Apple. The tech giant’s suit against the Swedish firm is set to be heard the following month, in July.
The most recent development of this dispute is that Ericsson is now taking its legal fight to the United Kingdom. As spotted by FOSS Patents. Taylor Wessing, the law firm Ericsson is represented by, filed with the High Court of Justice for England and Wales on June 6.
UK court records show a couple of Ericsson v. Apple filings: on June 6, Ericsson–represented by the law firm of Taylor Wessing, which has offices in numerous European countries (and beyond Europe)–filed with the High Court of Justice for England & Wales (still frequently referred to as the “EWHC”)
The dispute is split into two cases, with HP-2022-000013 listing Apple Retail UK as its defendant, and case HP-2022-000014 against Apple Retail UK, Apple Distribution International, and Apple Inc. The patents included in the suit have not been specified as of yet.
Note that Ericsson is not seeking a ban on any of Apple’s devices. Instead, it is seeking a court ruling as to how much Apple should pay the company for using its technology. The company could ask for $5 per unit which will add up to a significant amount every year based on how many 5G iPhones Apple sells.
The Swedish company has now filed suits against Apple in six different locations including the United States, ITC, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, and the Netherlands. A trial date for the battle in the U.S. has been set for 2023.
