American institutions sued Nokia and others for infringing Bluetooth patent technology.
The WashingtonResearchFoundation, an American research institution, said recently that it had filed legal proceedings against Nokia, Samsung and Panasonic in the Western District Court of Seattle, Washington, because the defendants infringed their own patents on Bluetooth technology.
The Washington Research Foundation is responsible for the marketing of technical research results of the University of Washington. In the complaint, the foundation claimed that EdwinSuominen, a scientist at the University of Washington, obtained a patent for wireless frequency receiving technology during the period of 1999. Nokia, Samsung and Panasonic used the technology without paying the patent fee, so they demanded the defendant to compensate for the economic losses.
Bluetooth technology was invented by JaapHaartsen, an engineer of Ericsson, in the mid-1990s, further developed by Ericsson and four other companies, and then popularized in the market free of charge by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Hartson said that some companies had previously claimed that their patents were part of Bluetooth technology, but they were not supported by the court; Whether the Washington Research Foundation can get what it wants this time depends on the final judgment of the court.
Nokia said that it is studying prosecution; Samsung and Panasonic have not commented on this. Analysts say that if the Washington Research Foundation wins this lawsuit, it means that the free Bluetooth standard will face the fate of charging.