Announced just last week, Google's Asus-built Nexus 7 tablet is already in a spot of trouble. Nokia has issued a discreet warning to Google and Asus claiming that the new Nexus 7 Android tablet infringes its patents. The Finnish mobile maker recommended that the two companies "simply approach" Nokia to obtain a patent license.
The 7-inch Asus-built Nexus 7 tablet is the search giant's first own-brand tablet, and comes with the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset and a tempting £159 ($199) SIM free price tag. Nokia, however, has alleged that it is not licensed for certain patents, and infringes on its intellectual property.
"Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standard essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers. Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio," a Nokia spokesperson told The Inquirer. "Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license."
According to The Inquirer, the patents in question could be related to the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard, and Nokia told the publication that neither Google nor Asus have sought to obtain a license for the technologies. Unlike Apple, however, Nokia will likely not seek injunctions against the Google Nexus 7 tablet, but instead it may simply request that Google or Asus obtain the proper licenses. The Inquirer contacted Asus for comments on Nokia's claims, but was politely declined. "At the moment, Asus will not be providing any response/comment related," the company told the publication.
Nokia is one of the major pioneers of the mobile industry, and has built an impressive patent portfolio consisting of more than 10,000 patent families. The Finnish company reigned as the world's largest mobile maker for more than a decade, until Samsung snatched the crown earlier this year.
Apple and Nokia reached a patent license agreement last year, avoiding the threat of a prolonged legal battle. Under the terms of the settlement, Apple paid a one-time sum to Nokia and agreed to pay ongoing royalties. The Finnish handset maker will likely push to reach a similar patent license agreement with Google and Asus, rather than seeking to ban the tablet.
