Apple, which is at the top of smartphone sales, has concluded a new patent infringement case. Following a lawsuit filed by Ericsson, 5G iPhones and iPads are banned from being sold in Colombia. Apple was also restricted from importing into the South American country.
What happened when Apple infringed on Ericsson patent
A new patent crisis with Ericsson seems to hurt Apple. The ongoing patent litigation in Colombia has found that Apple’s 5G iPhone and iPad models are in patent filing. Thereupon, the sale of 5G supported Apple products was banned.
According to the report by Foss Patents, Ericsson and Apple have had a patent partnership for 5G for many years. However, it has been claimed that Apple has not renewed the license rights of iPhone patents for a while, but continues to use it despite this. Thereupon, Ericsson filed a new lawsuit regarding 5G patents.
Apple lawyers objecting to the lawsuit in Colombia stated that there is currently no 5G networks in the country. It was requested that Apple should continue selling 4G supported iPhones and iPads in Colombia. However, this objection was not enough to prevent iPhone imports to the country.
Although the inability to sell in a country due to patent infringement will affect Apple, it should be noted that it is not a major player in the Colombian market. In addition, it is unclear for now whether this objection initiated by Ericsson will spread to other countries.
In fact, this isn’t the first patent dispute between Apple and Ericsson. Previously, investigations were initiated on the 4G patents of iPhone/iPad models in the USA and Europe. Allegedly, Apple had to pay Ericsson for the 4G modems it used.
So what do you think about this subject? Do you think Apple may have infringed a patent for the iPhone? Do not forget to share your views with us in the comments section!