Apple retaliates: requests US import ban on Nokia phones
As expected, Apple just responded to Nokia's ITC request to ban Apple device imports with a US embargo request of its very own. Notice of Apple's complaint (without any detail) was posted yesterday on the website of the International Trade Commission -- a government agency tasked with protecting the US market from unfair trade practices. As you might recall, the whole Nokia v. Apple legal spat started with Nokia suing Apple for infringing upon Nokia patents relating to GSM, UMTS, and WiFi; a claim later expanded to include "implementation patents" covering a wide range of items including camera sensors and touchscreens. While the ITC hasn't agreed to investigate either Nokia's or Apple's complaints, it is customary to do so with investigations usually taking about 15 months to complete. We'll post more when the details of Apple's patent infringement complaint are revealed.
