Apple Takes Ericsson to Court Over High LTE Patent Royalties
Patent royalties play a huge role in the mobile industry and it like every mobile manufacturer has their own set of ridiculous patents. Today, Apple is taking Ericsson to court over it’s LTE patents.
Reuters reports that the iPhone maker is suing Ericsson, claiming they shouldn’t be paying for the Swedish firms patents. If Tim Cook and company wins they should be cleared of any royalty costs. Though, it looks like the company is aiming towards changing the structure for the patent. Apple argues that they should be paying based on the value of the specific chips using Ericsson’s technology, not based on number of devices sold.
“We’ve always been willing to pay a fair price to secure the rights to standards essential patents covering technology in our products,” Apple told Reuters. ”Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree with Ericsson on a fair rate for their patents so, as a last resort, we are asking the courts for help.”
The two companies had an agreement around the time of the initial iPhone launch. Now, eight years later, Apple may have the leverage it has to secure a better deal.