Ericsson – Apple 5G Patent Licensing Dispute

Recently, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, commonly known as Ericsson (hereinafter "Ericsson"), a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm filed a set of patent infringement lawsuits against Apple Inc. (hereinafter "Apple"), an U.S. based multinational technology company that specializes in consumer electronics, software and online services. This is not the first time the parties have approached the court-of-law over their 5G patents – initially, Ericsson had sued Apple in the US (Western US District of Texas) and at least one unknown European country around October 2021, and now in Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium and Germany.

The issue essentially is about royalty payments for using wireless patents in Apple's iPhones. Initially the dispute covered 5G patents, but now also includes 4G patents of Ericsson. Both parties signed a seven year patent licensing agreement in 2015 covering 2G, 3G, and 4G technology, and the