A German IP firm by the name of IPCom is suing Apple in Germany over the implementation of a patent which the firm purchased in 2007. The patent involves how cellular calls to emergency services are prioritized on mobile networks and the firm claims that Apple’s implementation violates its patent, despite the patent being classed as a mandatory element of the UMTS/LTE mobile communication standards.
The firm is seeking $2 billion in damages, though it is not known whether the firm attempted to negotiate in good faith with Apple before filing the suit. Because of the way the patent is classed, the firm is bound to the FRAND clauses that require all standards essential patents to be licensed at fair and reasonable rates regardless of implementation to avoid unnecessary patent disputes between companies.
