Wednesday, November 28,2007 @ 11:00am
Nokia to butt heads with Apple over patents?
Nokia may encounter a patent dispute with Apple if it pushes ahead with its plan to offer a promised touchscreen phone, according to a report from Nomura analyst Richard Windsor. The financial institution's researcher believes that an upcoming update to the Symbian Series 60 OS used on Nokia's smartphones may infringe on as one or more of Apple's patents for the iPhone, potentially triggering a legal battle . This could be very likely with Apple owning at least 200 patents relating just to its handset, Windsor says.
However, the financial burden and risky nature of such a dispute may see Nokia choose to strike an agreement or reach a settlement sometime during 2009 rather than face the prospect of a costly and risky trial, according to the prediction. Nokia has generally refrained from discussing the similarity between its recent prototype and the iPhone but is widely believed to take direct inspiration from Apple's interface, particularly its photo viewing interface.