Nokia Sues Amazon on HP Over Patent Infringement
13-Nov-2023
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Source : The European Commission
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BRUSSELS - Finnish Telecom company Nokia has initiated legal action against Amazon and HP, claiming that they have been involved in activities infringing on their patents related to video-related technologies. These lawsuits have been filed in five different jurisdictions: the US, the UK, India, Germany and in the new European Unified Patent Court (UPC), according to the official website of the European Commission.
Nokia alleges that Amazon Prime and HP’s streaming and multimedia devices infringe Nokia patents related to video compression, content delivery and hardware related aspects.
This Nokia’s legal battle is not an isolated event. Indeed Nokia, once famous for their mobile phones, transitioned into a different type of company, focusing on research and development and licensing of technology instead of commercialisation of personal phones. Its business model is now based on a significant patent portfolio built upon an investment of more than €140 billion in research and development which includes around 20,000 patent families.
Nokia earlier this year successfully reached licensing agreements with industry giants such as Apple and Samsung for its patent covering 5G wireless technology, demonstrating its ability to generate income through the licensing of proprietary technology.
The legal action Nokia has taken against Amazon and HP can therefore be seen as an attempt by Nokia to persuade these two companies to finally reach a licensing agreement for the use of its patented technologies. The company has been involved in long-term patent disputes with companies such as Lenovo, Oppo and Vivo in the last few years. If you are interested, we looked at the case of Nokia vs Lenovo in a previous blog post (see here).
Mariah Carey faces second copyright lawsuit over “All I Want for Christmas is You”
Christmas is around the corner, and as usual Mariah Carey can once again, as every year, be heard on the radio, in shops and advertisements. This time however, the yearly return of Mariah Carey comes with a lawsuit! Indeed, she is facing a new copyright dispute over her 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” filed on 1 November by country singer Andy Stone in a California Federal Court, claiming that Carey copied the song, which he performs with his band Vince Vance & the Valiants. This is the second time that Stone takes legal action for the same reason and the same song, after his first suit was dismissed by a Louisiana Court last year.
Stone’s original song was to his group’s fame, allowing them to perform at the White House, but it did not reach the heights which Mariah Carey’s hit did. Carey’s song has topped the Billboard Hot 100 every year since 2019, bringing in significant revenue, on top of around €50 million in royalties that the singer had received when the song was released nearly three decades ago.
Stone has decided to try again, suing Mariah Carey, co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and record labels Sony Music and Universal Music Group for “copyright infringement and unfair enrichment”, claiming that Carey’s song copied a piece he composed in 1989, five years before Carey’s release. Stone argues that although the songs are musically different, the titles are identical and Carey never sought permission to use it. Furthermore, he points to similarities in “compositional structure” and certain “unique linguistic structures”.
The plaintiffs are seeking at €16.4 million in damages, claiming that Carey’s success is based on their original idea. It remains to be seen if this lawsuit brought nearly 3 decades after Carey’s song was first hear will encounter any success, or whether it will be dismissed as the previous attempt.