法律观察：诺基亚起诉苹果侵犯其专利权

Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, opened a new front in its battle with Apple yesterday by filing a lawsuit claiming that its rival's flagship iPhone infringed the Finnish company's patents.
全球最大的移动电话生产商诺基亚(Nokia)开辟了与苹果公司(Apple)对决的新战线。这家芬兰公司昨日提起诉讼，声称竞争对手苹果的旗舰产品iPhone手机，侵犯了它的专利。

The move sets the stage for a court battle between the industry leader and an upstart US rival whose iPhone is transforming the competitive landscape.
此举为一家行业领头羊与一家迅速崛起的美国竞争对手之间的法庭之战拉开了帷幕。后者推出的iPhone手机正在改变竞争格局。

Smartphones are among the hottest sectors in consumer technology, as the mobile communications and computing industries converge to create a new category of devices.
智能手机是消费者技术领域最受追捧的产品之一，是移动通信与电脑产业相结合而诞生的新一类设备。

The legal complaint, filed in a US federal court in Delaware, involved 10 patents that Nokia said had been “infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007”. If successful, the lawsuit could entitle Nokia to a licensing fee for all 30m iPhones sold since its launch.
诺基亚向美国特拉华州联邦法院提起的上述诉讼，涉及10项专利。该公司表示，“自2007年iPhone上市以来，苹果公司出厂的所有型号的iPhone手机都侵犯了”这些专利。如果胜诉，诺基亚将有权对iPhone上市以来售出的所有3000万部iPhone手机收取专利许可费。

Ilkka Rahnasto, Nokia's head of legal affairs and intellectual property, accused Apple of seeking “a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation”.
诺基亚法务及知识产权部门主管伊卡•拉那斯托(Ilkka Rahnasto)谴责苹果公司试图“免费搭乘诺基亚创新的便车。”

The lawsuit comes as Nokia struggles to mount a fightback against Apple in the fast-growing smartphone market as consumers shift from traditional handsets to phones that double as mini computers.
提起诉讼的同时，诺基亚正竭力在智能手机领域向苹果发起反击。随着消费者逐渐摒弃传统手机，转而选择可兼用作迷你电脑的通讯设备，智能手机已成为一个高速增长的市场。

Nokia remains the biggest maker of smartphones but it is losing market share to the iPhone and the BlackBerry devices made by Canada's Research in Motion.
诺基亚仍是全球最大的智能手机生产商，但iPhone以及加拿大RIM公司(Research in Motion)生产的黑莓(BlackBerry)手机正在夺走它的市场份额。

Their contrasting fortunes were highlighted this week, when Apple announced a 47 per cent jump in third-quarter profits days after Nokia said it had fallen into loss.
两家公司截然相反的境遇在本周得到突显。苹果宣布，该公司第三季度利润激增47%，而此前诺基亚表示，它已经陷入亏损。

Nokia said the 10 patents involved technologies that were “fundamental” to the manufacturing of third-generation mobile phones, including wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.
诺基亚表示，上述10项专利所涉及的技术，对3G手机的制造具有“根本性”意义，其中包括无线数据、语音编码、安全和加密。

“The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for,” said Mr Rahnasto.
拉那斯托表示：“移动通信产业的一项基本原则是，那些为技术开发、进而建立标准做出贡献的公司，是知识产权的创造者，其它公司需要对此给予补偿。”

“Apple is also expected to follow this principle. By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia's intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation.”
“苹果也理应遵循这一原则。如果苹果拒绝接受使用诺基亚知识产权的适当条件，那就是在试图免费搭乘诺基亚创新的便车。”

Apple was not available for comment.
记者无法联系到苹果就此置评。

Apple has previously been seen as the aggressor when it comes to smartphone patents. This year, when Palm launched the Pre, Apple threatened to sue Palm over its multi-touch interface.
在维护智能手机的专利权方面，苹果曾被视为进攻者。今年，当Palm公司推出Pre手机时，苹果曾以该款手机使用了多触点界面为由，威胁要把Palm告上法庭。