InterDigital -- Engadget Mobile

InterDigital posts

Nokia / InterDigital patent drama continues with ITC ruling in Espoo's favor

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 14th 2009 @ 9:54PM

Corporate legal teams are so large, so powerful, and often so evenly-matched that when you combine them with the glacial wheels of justice, patent disputes can take years to resolve -- in fact, we'd say it's the rule rather than the exception -- and inevitably, they end in anticlimactic fashion with the alleged offender agreeing to shell out some fraction of the plaintiff's original request in exchange for sweeping the whole matter under the rug. Nokia's had its fair share of such spats, and one that's been dogging the company for a good long while now is with InterDigital, which has been systematically targeting firms in the industry for years with claims that it holds patents inherently required for UMTS -- in other words, if you make UMTS gear, you automatically owe InterDigital money. Of course, Nokia has been politely disagreeing with that claim all along, and the US International Trade Commission has just issued an initial determination in its favor, saying that it doesn't violate the four patents InterDigital's all worked up over. For the record, the US ITC has been investigating this issue for a solid two years now, so yeah, if someone's ripping off your IP, don't expect a speedy resolution. The commission's initial determination will be followed by a final, binding determination this December; in the meantime; Espoo "will continue to present its case." Now that we think about it, we're pretty sure we saw this episode of Law & Order already.

Samsung settles up with InterDigital in long-running patent infringement case

by Darren Murph posted Nov 25th 2008 @ 9:29AM

At last, it's over. InterDigital, which is best known for its episodes in the courtroom with Samsung and Nokia, has finally reached an agreement with the former firm. The two have been at each other's throats since April of last year regarding patents allegedly used in some of Sammy's more sophisticated phones. The decision was reached just a day before the US International Trade Commission was set to rule on whether to recommend barring affected Samsung imports altogether, which we can assure you was not at all coincidental. There's been no public disclosure of settlement value, though one analyst at Hilliard Lyons estimates that Samsung will be coughing up $400 to $500 million over the next five years to make this problem go away. Talk about a recurring nightmare.

InterDigital, Nokia settle differences -- some of them

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 7th 2008 @ 6:50AM

Only in the world of corporate law could two entities make amends in one continent while beating each other to a legal pulp in another. After three years of trading lawsuits over a handful of InterDigital patents regarding their applicability to the UMTS standard, Nokia and the firm have agreed to bury the hatchet with a settlement whose terms are undisclosed -- but only in the UK. The battle goes on in the US, where InterDigital still wants the ITC to put the smack down on Nokia's 3G products, which it claims are in violation of its intellectual property. InterDigital's stock got a nice little boost from the ordeal in the Isles, so it's apparently a Good Thing; maybe these guys want to take a seat at the negotiating table stateside, too?

[Via Phone Scoop]

Nokia, InterDigital both pleased with 3G patent ruling in UK

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 24th 2007 @ 11:01AM

It's not a common occurrence for both sides of a court case to be pleased with His / Her Honor's decision, particularly in the appeal-plagued world of wireless patent law. Well, here's a little breath of fresh air: both Nokia and InterDigital are declaring victory in a ruling put forth by a London High Court, saying that "most" of InterDigital's patents aren't essential to the UMTS standard. Why's InterDigital so amped, then? Turns out that the court did declare one of its patents to be essential, which appears to be the first time that any court has ever declared a company's patent to be inseparable from UMTS itself, the world's predominant 3G standard. The whole ruling stems from a complaint filed by Nokia way back in 2005 as a proactive attack against a potential (and at that time, purely theoretical) InterDigital lawsuit over patent infringement; sure enough, InterDigital ended up filing a motion with the ITC not long ago that prompted an investigation, though this latest court action might throw a wet towel on that whole business. Then again, that one pesky patent that the court left untouched could end up causing a lot of trouble for Nokia -- and any other 3G handset manufacturer, for that matter -- that doesn't care to cough up the licensing fees.

[Via mocoNews]

Apple licenses InterDigital tech, presumably for 3G iPhone

by Ryan Block posted Sep 9th 2007 @ 8:36PM

InterDigital, a wireless technology firm better known around these parts for its imbroglios with Samsung and Nokia than any specific technological contributions, has apparently penned a seven year licensing deal with Apple, said to be worth some $56 million. Not that there was any doubt about Apple eventually releasing a 3G iPhone, but one analyst noted that "the deal covers various 2G and 3G cellular technologies", which is always an encouraging thing to hear. Of course, it's still anyone's guess as to when that device might appear on the scene, but after this week's price drop, we think Apple might not be rushing to something else that might arouse the ire of its first adopter crowd.

InterDigital complaint prompts ITC to investigate Nokia

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 6th 2007 @ 4:40PM

Remember how Samsung had to shell out a boatload of cash for infringing on InterDigital's IP related to WCDMA technology? Looks like Nokia may have to do the same. Nokia has an agreement in place over the use of InterDigital's 2G tech, but apparently not its 3G, and that's got InterDigital worked up over a pair of patents it holds. They've made enough of a stink about it to get the US International Trade Commission's attention -- you know, the folks that banned Qualcomm's chips on similar grounds -- and it's looking to get to the bottom of the sitch within the next 45 days. Nokia sounds ready to fight, saying that it'll "vigorously defend itself" against InterDigital's claims, which we figure means it has no intention of whipping out the checkbook the same way Samsung did to the tune of $134 million. We'll keep ya updated as this one develops.

[Via mocoNews]

Samsung requested to pay InterDigital handsome sum

by Brian White posted Apr 12th 2007 @ 1:44PM

Are Samsung's BlackJack and other handsets from the Korean manufacturer using pilfered WCDMA technology? That's the most recent lawsuit claim from technology company InterDigital that was set in motion some time ago. Now, the company wants Samsung to "stop dragging its feet" and pay up like Nokia agreed to almost a year ago in terms of using WCDMA tech in certain 3G handsets. At issue is Samsung's alleged infringement on some of InterDigital's WCDMA patents inside several Samsung handsets. At stake is a settlement bill for royalty payment purposes that totals a whopping $134 million based on an earlier arbitration settlement. Samsung is required to stop importing infringing handsets as well at the bequest of InterDigital; additionally, the handset maker is chiming in for a more relaxed royalty arrangement like the one Nokia received. However, Sammy may have PO'ed InterDigital a little too far here to get any breaks.