Apple brings Nokia patent spat to the UK

Intellectual property battle continues to rage

Nokia claims that Apple has infringed on several patents with the iPhone 4

Apple has extended its legal complaint against Nokia to the UK, according to a report on Reuters.

The two firms have been locked in a legal battle for almost 12 months. Nokia first filed a patent complaint in a US court in October 2009, claiming that Apple had been improperly using Nokia technology since 2007.

Nokia then said that a number of patents had been trampled on in the creation of the iPhone, including components that handle encryption, wireless networking and speech processing.

Ilkka Rahnasto, vice president of legal and intellectual technology at Nokia, said at the time: "The basic principle in the mobile industry is that companies which contribute to technology development to establish standards create intellectual property which others then need to compensate for. Apple is also expected to follow this principle."

Apple countersued in December, arguing that Nokia had infringed on some of its patents.

Nokia fired back in May, claiming that Apple was infringing on five further patents in the iPhone and iPad.

"Nokia has been the leading developer of many key technologies in mobile devices," said Paul Melin, Nokia's patent licensing general manager.

"We have taken this step to protect the results of our pioneering development, and to put an end to continued unlawful use of Nokia's innovation. "

Apple did not responded to a request for comment, however, in a strongly worded statement, Nokia branded Cupertino's actions "unsurprising" and designed to put pressure on the two companies' "ongoing dialogue".

"However, it changes nothing in the fundamentals of the matter, which are rooted in Apple’s refusal to respect Nokia’s intellectual property and attempt to free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation," the statement continued.

"We are examining Apple’s claims, which appear to be based on nine implementation patents already in suit between the two companies in the US. Though litigation is always a last resort for Nokia, the company will continue defend itself to the utmost."