Ericsson has sued Apple for the second time in what is increasingly becoming a tit-for-tat 5G patent war between the two tech giants.
Ericsson reportedly filed a pair of fresh claims covering a string of IPs. it lodged two cases with a US district court, with four patents covered in one and eight in the other, according to reports by news service IAM.
Ericsson’s move is the latest in a spat which resulted in each company taking legal action in the US during 2021, as negotiations over the renewal of a seven-year licensing contract for telecom patents that was first struck in 2015 failed.
Apple’s previous deal covered 2G, 3G and 4G, but the companies have so far been unable to reach a new agreement which also covers 5G.
Ericsson told Reuters Apple is now using its technology without a license “since the prior agreement has expired”.
Meanwhile, Foss Patents also reported that noted Apple “will predictably retaliate”, but also noted “Apple’s exposure to patent assertions dwarfs Ericsson’s”.
