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Nokia files patent complaint against Qualcomm in US

Nokia Oyj's battle with Qualcomm Inc over royalties for chips that run mobile phones led to a new patent infringement complaint before US trade officials.

Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, filed the complaint yesterday at the US International Trade Commission (ITC), a Washington agency that has the power to ban imports of products found to infringe US patents. A public version of the complaint, over "wireless communication chips and chipsets," was not available. The notice of the complaint was posted on the agency's Web site.

The complaint is the newest front in a feud between Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, and Qualcomm, the world's second biggest maker of chips that run the phones. Nokia's license expired April 9, and it claims Qualcomm wants too much money for a new license for third generation phones, which allow for faster Internet access.

Qualcomm filed its own complaint against Nokia with the commission a year ago. That case is scheduled for trial in September. Qualcomm, based in San Diego, is seeking to ban some Nokia handsets from the US, claiming those that comply with the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard infringe three of its patents.

Nokia has said that Qualcomm's case is "weak," and has contended the patents involved are invalid.

The ITC complaints are part of a wider battle between the two companies in courts and before government agencies in the US, Britain, Germany and the EU.

Qualcomm also has patent fights with rival Broadcom Corp, which earlier this month said it would supply chips to Nokia. Qualcomm is appealing an ITC finding that it infringed a Broadcom patent for a battery-saving feature.
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