訴狀一 (H.264 工業標準相關專利)
訴狀二 (非工業標準相關專利)
諾基亞又告蘋果專利侵權了。幾點觀察重點：
1. 2011年雙方曾簽訂專利授權合約。很明顯，當年這份合約並未涵蓋Nokia所有的專利。從另一個角度想，對專利授權的範圍附加限制條件，實務上很常見，並不見得對被授權人就一定不利。反正在範圍外的，另外再談就是。
2. Nokia在今年正式併購了Alcatel-Lucent S.A.。這次兩起訴訟，Alcatel-Lucent S.A.都列名共同原告。又是一則國外大企業將併購策略跟智財權策略合併運用的實例。
3. Nokia將H.264相關的工業標準相關專利，以及跟產品相關的非工業標準相關專利，分開成兩個訴狀分別起訴。很明顯這應該是訴訟策略考量，兩個訴訟的重點應該會不太一樣：前者應該會偏重在合理權利金計算，後者攻防重點應該會在專利侵權與專利有效性。
4. Nokia的訴狀內容，列出了它認為Apple的產品是如何侵權。訴狀一比對的是工業標準的規格書內容，訴狀二比對的是Apple的產品電路板。首先這應該滿足新的起訴狀要求；其次，有興趣者可以模擬一下，如果是自己收到這個訴狀，該怎麼管理這件爭議案。
5. Nokia在訴狀一中，列出了雙方就H.264專利授權的談判時間與內容。整個過程從2014年11月起算，大約花了兩年的時間。以下整理出這個談判時程供大家參考：
November 4, 2014：Nokia and Apple met in Sunnyvale, California, and Nokia gave Apple a presentation in which it identified patent numbers, claims, and corresponding H.264 Standard sections.
May 12, 2015：Nokia provided Apple with additional information regarding its licensing program, including the number of licensees and a description of the broad array of licensed technologies. Nokia specifically provided Apple with license offers to its video compression patent portfolio for H.264 decoding, to its video compression patent portfolio for H.264 encoding, and to a combination of both portfolios.
May 29, 2015 and June 17, 2015：Nokia provided Apple with 31 additional claim charts regarding video compression patents relevant to its license offers of May 12, 2015.
June 24, 2015：Nokia invited Apple to send technical experts to Nokia’s Texas offices in order to discuss any remaining technical questions regarding Nokia’s infringement claims.
October 30, 2015 and December 8, 2015：Nokia provided further explanations of its RAND license offers.
March 17, 2016：Nokia explained in detail the reasoning underlying the rates of its prior license offers to Apple and simultaneously provided another revised license offer to Apple together with an offer to arbitrate any disputed terms of the offer. Nokia requested a response from Apple within 60 days.
May 23, 2016：Nokia informed Apple that it considered the offers rejected.
September 14, 2016：Nokia responded to other communications from Apple and indicated that it remains willing to have any open licensing issues finally resolved in arbitration.
這個時程可以跟之前Google與FTC和解書中所列出的時程 (整個不到一年) 比較一下。這跟禁制令的風險直接相關，在公司內部控管專利風險者須特別注意。Nokia在PRAYER FOR RELIEF裡，就要求法院准許禁制令。我想這訴訟應該沒多久後，Nokia就會聲請暫時禁制令了吧。
6. 雙方為這個訴訟，定調的劇情分別如下：
Nokia:
“Through our sustained investment in research and development, Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today’s mobile devices, including Apple products. After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple’s use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights.”
Apple:
“Unfortunately, Nokia has refused to license their patents on a fair basis and is now using the tactics of a patent troll to attempt to extort money from Apple by applying a royalty rate to Apple’s own inventions they had nothing to do with. We are standing up for inventors everywhere by fighting this flagrant anticompetitive practice.”這兩個公開聲明，可以學一下，以後說不定可以拿出來用喔。
沒有留言:
張貼留言
注意：只有此網誌的成員可以留言。