Motorola sues Apple, claiming infringement of 18 patents

Motorola subsidiary Motorola Mobility sued Apple on Wednesday, claiming the Cupertino company infringed on 18 patents it holds covering a range of wireless technologies. The suit was filed in two US District courts: one in the Northern District of Illinois and the other in the Southern District of Florida.

Among the technologies covered are those related to GPRS and 3G, as well as 802.11 wireless Internet. Other functions that the patents cover include technologies which have become staples of the iPhone including multi-device synchronization, proximity sensors, and location based services.

"After Apple's late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations, but Apple has refused to take a license. We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple's continued infringement," Motorola Mobility's intellectual property chief Kirk Dailey said in a statement.

Apple declined to comment on the suit.

Motorola also filed complaints with the International Trade Commission in an attempt to have the group look into Apple's use of the patents in question, and possibly asking for an injunction to bar the importation of any Apple product that includes technology which infringes on Motorola's patents.

The ITC is also handling the spat between Apple and Nokia, in which both companies have sued each other over infringement and have similarly asked for injunctive relief. Kodak has also asked the ITC to look into the possibility of patent infringement of its own patents dealing with the previewing of images.