Sweden’s Ericsson has filed another set of patent infringement lawsuits against Apple in the latest salvo between the two companies over royalty payment for use of 5G wireless patents in iPhones.
Both companies have already sued each other
in the United States as negotiations failed over the renewal of a seven-year
licensing contract for telecom patents first struck in 2015.
Ericsson sued first in October claiming
that Apple was trying to improperly cut down the royalty rates while the iPhone
maker filed a lawsuit in December accusing the Swedish company of using
“strong-arm tactics" to renew patents.
“Since the prior agreement has expired, and
we have been unable to reach agreement on the terms and scope of a new license,
Apple is now using our technology without a license," an Ericsson
spokesman said.
Apple did not immediately respond to a
request for a comment. Patent lawsuits are quite common among technology
companies as every dollar saved could amount to significant amounts over the
duration of the agreement as companies such as Ericsson charges between $2.5 to
$5 for every 5G handset.
The Swedish company invests about $5 billion
every year in research, has a portfolio of more than 57,000 patents, and
royalties from its patent portfolio account for roughly a third of its
operating profit.
Last year Ericsson settled patent lawsuits
with Samsung after several months of court battles that temporarily hit its
quarterly earnings. Pending dues are usually cleared after a settlement is
reached