ESPOO, Finland, August 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia (NYSE: NOK)
announced it has filed a complaint with the United States International
Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that Qualcomm has engaged in unfair trade
practices through infringing 5 Nokia patents in its CDMA and WCDMA/GSM
chipsets. Nokia is requesting that the ITC initiate an investigation and
issue an exclusion order to bar importation to the United States of
infringing Qualcomm chipsets, and products such as handsets, containing the
infringing chipsets.
Qualcomm's unfair trade practices include importing products, selling
products for importation, and/or selling products after importation, and
inducing others to import products such as handsets, that infringe Nokia
patented technology in certain Qualcomm GSM/WCDMA and CDMA2000 chipsets.
The patents in question relate to technologies that improve the
performance and efficiency of wireless communication devices as well as
enabling lower manufacturing costs, smaller product size and increased
battery life. These technologies are important to Nokia's success as they
allow its products to have competitive advantages over those of
competitors.
"There is significant evidence to warrant an ITC investigation into
Qualcomm's business conduct," said Rick Simonson, chief financial officer,
Nokia. "We are taking this action to stop Qualcomm's practice of copying
Nokia's patented technology, without permission, and making these
innovations available to its chipset customers.
"We are seeking the same remedies Qualcomm has sought against Nokia in
multiple venues around the world. Nokia will continue to ensure its rights
and competitive advantage is protected," Simonson added.
Nokia has built one of the strongest and broadest IPR portfolios in the
wireless industry over the last 15 years through extensive investments in
research and development. Nokia will continue to vigorously defend itself
against the infringement and unauthorized use of its intellectual property.
**A podcast with Rick Simonson, Nokia Chief Financial officer will be
available at http://www.nokia.com/press/ipr
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia
makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences
in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business
mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions
and services for communications networks.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not
historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the
timing of product, service and solution deliveries; B) our ability to
develop, implement and commercialize new products, services, solutions and
technologies; C) expectations regarding market growth, developments and
structural changes; D) expectations regarding our mobile device volume
growth, market share, prices and margins; E) expectations and targets for
our results of operations; F) the outcome of pending and threatened
litigation; and G) statements preceded by "believe," "expect,"
"anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "plans," "will"
or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are
based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the
information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and
uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that
we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include,
but are not limited to: 1) competitiveness of our product portfolio; 2) our
ability to identify key market trends and to respond timely and
successfully to the needs of our customers; 3) the extent of the growth of
the mobile communications industry, as well as the growth and profitability
of the new market segments within that industry which we target; 4) the
availability of new products and services by network operators and other
market participants; 5) our ability to successfully manage costs; 6) the
intensity of competition in the mobile communications industry and our
ability to maintain or improve our market position and respond successfully
to changes in the competitive landscape; 7) the impact of changes in
technology and our ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex
technologies as required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 8)
timely and successful commercialization of complex technologies as new
advanced products, services and solutions; 9) our ability to protect the
complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from
claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights,
as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain
technologies in our products, services and solution offerings; 10) our
ability to protect numerous Nokia patented, standardized, or proprietary
technologies from third party infringement or actions to invalidate the
intellectual property rights of these technologies; 11) our ability to
manage efficiently our manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure
the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of our products, services
and solutions; 12) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in
market demand; 13) our ability to source quality components and
sub-assemblies without interruption and at acceptable prices; 14) Nokia's
and Siemens' ability to successfully integrate the operations, personnel
and supporting activities of their respective businesses as a result of the
merger of Nokia's networks business and Siemens' carrier-related operations
for fixed and mobile networks forming Nokia Siemens Networks; 15) whether,
as a result of investigations into alleged violations of law by some
current or former employees of Siemens, government authorities or others
take actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and
affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens to
Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected additional violations
that may have occurred prior to the transfer, or ongoing violations that
may occur after the transfer, of such assets and employees that could
result in additional actions by government authorities; 16) the expense,
time, attention and resources of Nokia Siemens Networks and our management
to detect, investigate and resolve any situations related to alleged
violations of law involving the assets and employees of Siemens
carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 17) any
impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from
the ongoing government investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related
operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 18) developments under
large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers; 19) general
economic conditions globally and, in particular, economic or political
turmoil in emerging market countries where we do business; 20) our success
in collaboration arrangements relating to development of technologies or
new products, services and solutions; 21) the success, financial condition
and performance of our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 22)
any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our
operations rely on; 23) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in
particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency,
and the US dollar, the Chinese yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese
yen, as well as certain other currencies; 24) the management of our
customer financing exposure; 25) allegations of possible health risks from
electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices and
lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 26) unfavorable outcome of
litigations; 27) our ability to recruit, retain and develop appropriately
skilled employees; and 28) the impact of changes in government policies,
laws or regulations; as well as the risk factors specified on pages 12-24
of the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31,
2006 under "Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors
or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or
revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
http://www.nokia.com
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SOURCE Nokia
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+358-7180-34900, Email: press.office@nokia.com
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