DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Finnish handset maker Nokia Corp. (NOK) Friday said it isn't colluding with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on intellectual property, in a response to recent claims by Google Inc. (GOOG).
Search company Google late Thursday filed an antitrust complaint with European regulators arguing that rivals Microsoft and Nokia are using proxy companies to brandish patents and to hurt the prospects of Google's Android mobile operating system.
"Though we have not yet seen the complaint, Google's suggestion that Nokia and Microsoft are colluding on intellectual property rights is wrong," Nokia's legal spokesperson Mark Durrant said in a statement, adding that Microsoft and Nokia have their own IPR portfolios and operate independently from each other.
Last year, Microsoft and Nokia formed a patent cross-licensing agreement, as part of a broader arrangement that has Nokia building devices based on Microsoft's Windows Phone software.
Google alleges that Microsoft and Nokia have entered into agreements with entities such as Canada-based Mosaid Technologies Inc., which enable Mosaid to legally enforce their patent rights and share the resulting revenue.
Makers of devices running the Android operating system, such as HTC Corp. (2498.TW) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930.SE), have been involved in numerous law suits in recent years over patent infringements. Nokia said it agrees with Google that Android devices "have significant IP infringement issues," and said it welcomes "constructive efforts to stop unauthorized use of Nokia intellectual property."
At 0804 GMT, shares in Nokia traded 0.8% higher at EUR2.14.
-By Sven Grundberg, Dow Jones Newswires; +46-8-5451-3098; sven.grundberg@dowjones.com; Twitter: @svengrundberg
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 01, 2012 04:29 ET (08:29 GMT)
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