Apple is one step closer to potentially taking a bite out of Nokia’s U.S. market share. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday said it will review the iPhone maker’s complaint against the Finland-based mobile-phone giant. The ITC is also reviewing a similar complaint from Nokia against Apple.
The ITC is an independent federal agency that, among other things, reviews complaints against unfair trade practices involving patent, trademark and copyright infringement. It has the authority to order U.S. customs officials to block goods from entering the U.S. If Apple wins its bid, it would effectively block Nokia from bringing its handsets into the U.S.
“Obviously there is a lot of money to be made in mobility. Over time, if it turns out there are legitimate claims on anyone’s part, usually there is some sort of licensing deal,” said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. “This does show that companies like Apple will continue to be targets because you don’t sue companies that don’t have money.”
Mobile Tit for Tat
Both Apple and Nokia are alleging patent infringement. Nokia took the first swing in October when it filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Delaware accusing Apple of infringing on its patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards. The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption, and Nokia said they are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since its introduction in 2007.
Apple sat quietly for about two months before launching a counterattack against Nokia in December. Apple’s countersuit charged Nokia with infringing on 13 Apple patents. That led to an escalation, with Nokia proceeding to file its complaint with the ITC and Apple quickly following suit.
The ITC’s Busy Agenda
The ITC has its hands full these days with mobile-market complaints. Beyond the Nokia-Apple brawl, Eastman Kodak filed a complaint…