I suspect this has more to do with this:
Analysts say Nokia’s difficulties in the smartphone market go a long way to explaining why the profitability of its mobile division has been suffering. The division recorded an operating margin of 11.4 per cent in the third quarter, compared with 18.6 per cent in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Nokia’s attempt to match the iPhone, with the N97 launched in June, has failed to impress. Credit Suisse analysts gave the N97 a score of 63 out of a 100, compared with 91 for the iPhone.
And this:
Nokia was probably laying the groundwork for a negotiation with Apple over a broader cross-licencing deal, according to Maynard Um, an analyst at UBS. At stake is access to Apple’s multi-touch technology, which lies at the heart of the iPhone’s success.
Apple, which is headed by Steve Jobs, has itself warned that it will fight to protect this technology. Soon after Palm announced plans for its Pre smartphone this year, Apple said it would sue if necessary to defend multi-touch.
“What you are potentially looking at is a huge trading negotiation in its early stage,” another analyst, who refused to be named, said of Thursday’s lawsuit.
Than any real-or-perceived patent violations from either side. Cross-licensing is tricky. I'd be willing to bet that it wasn't MONEY that Nokia wanted (and couldn't get) from Apple. They wanted to trade, and Apple said no, that they'd pay the same as everyone else. Remember, there is no such thing as a "price" for licensing a patent. You can't just pay the published price and be guaranteed access. These things are almost always used in power plays.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a counter-suit from Apple in a few months alleging the exact same thing against Nokia.
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Topic: Nokia sues Apple for patents (Read 2028 times)