ITC Investigates Nokia In Qualcomm Dispute

MANHASSET, N.Y. — The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has commenced an investigation into whether Nokia Corp. and Nokia Inc. have engaged in unfair trade practices by importing and selling handsets, wireless communication devices and components that infringe one or more claims of six Qualcomm patents.

Qualcomm (San Diego) filed a complaint with the ITC last month (see June 12 story) requesting an exclusion order to bar importation of infringing Nokia handsets and other products. Qualcom also seeks a cease and desist Order to bar further sales of infringing Nokia products that have already been imported and to halt the marketing, advertising, demonstration, warehousing of inventory for distribution and use of such imported products in the U.S., for GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks.Last November, Qualcomm filed patent infringement allegations against Nokia Corp. and Nokia Inc. in a federal court in San Diego, claiming the phone maker infringed eleven of its patents and one owned by its fully owned SnapTrack subsidiary.

Qualcomm escalated its legal onslaught against Nokia in May by filing a patent infringement suit in the United Kingdom (see May 24 story), alleging the phone maker infringed two of its patents in the U.K.