Ericsson and Apple in legal showdown
Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has filed a complaint against Apple in a U.S. court over the technology giant's use of its technology in smartphones. The complaint came after Apple filed a case earlier against the Swedish company, claiming that Ericsson's LTE wireless technology patents are not essential to industry standards and that the Swedish company was demanding excessive fees to renew a licensing agreement. Ericsson said it was bringing the counter case in order to get an independent assessment of its global licensing offer since Apple refused to accept it. Ericsson no longer makes mobile phones but builds equipment for mobile networks, and has more than 35,000 technology patents and 100 patent-licensing agreements worldwide.