Apple comes under more pressure from Ericsson in patent dispute

Iphone 12 5g
Iphone 12 5g (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple and Ericsson's patent dispute continues to roll on.
  • The Swedish company has filed further actions against Apple in Brazil and Belgium.
  • It is seeking an injunction against an Apple distributor in Brazil.

Ericsson has filed more claims against Apple in both Brazil and Belgium as the company's patent war with Apple rages on.

As reported by Foss Patents:

Ericsson keeps up the pressure on Apple. A filing made by Apple in the Eastern District of Texas on Monday (January 31) mentions that "[i]n Brazil [...], in addition to targeting Apple in a previous injunction request, Ericsson [...] filed for a second preliminary injunction on January 17 against Allied Tecnologia S.A., based on Ericsson's claimed 4G cellular SEPs and merely because Allied resells Apple cellular products." Apple is now intervening to protect its wholesaler.

According to the filing, Ericsson is seeking a preliminary injunction against Allied Technologia because it distributes Apple products that Ericsson says infringe on patents owned by the firm.

Ericsson continues to ramp up its litigation assault on Apple, following a disagreement between the two over licensing of 2G, 3G, and 4G technology. A deal signed in 2015 between the two had expired, and talks to sign a new deal that included 5G technology have broken down.

Apple's uses 5G in its best iPhones including the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 but like most smartphone makers it relies on patents from companies like Ericsson. While Ericsson is seeking various injunctions against Apple, the main goal of the suits as a collective is to get a licensing deal figured out. Apple has filed several countersuits against Ericsson which claim it infringes upon patents owned by Apple, but which state the company (Apple) is willing to drop all lawsuits if Ericsson will do the same.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9