Apple Fires Back at Ericsson After New Lawsuits

Apple responded in a patent fight with Ericsson, countersuing the vendor and pressing the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban imports of its mobile infrastructure equipment.

The US company claims that Ericsson’s mmWave antenna radios and baseband units infringe its patents, but noted any equipment the vendor manufactures in the US would not be impacted if the ITC backs its request. Ericsson initiated legal action earlier this week covering a total of 12 5G patents. The vendor reportedly also sought an ITC ban, covering imports of iPhones.

Apple asserts excluding Ericsson base stations from the US would not have a significant adverse effect on competitive conditions in the country, noting mmWave equipment is also available from Nokia and Samsung. The US company offered to drop its actions if Ericsson did the same. Apple’s patent payments to Ericsson are worth around $200 to $300 million per year.