Ericsson: Apple exists because of us
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"Without LTE technology and Ericsson's inventions... smartphones and other mobile devices would not be able to provide the constant on-the-go access to video, streaming media and gaming that we are accustomed to today," the company said.
Ericsson dominates the supply of 4G networks and has contracts with the top 10 global mobile phone operators.
Earlier this week Apple sued Ericsson, claiming that its 4G wireless technology patents are not essential to industry standards and that the Stockholm-based company was demanding excessive fees to renew a licensing agreement.
Ericsson holds more than 35,000 technology patents and 100 patent-licensing agreements.
Ericsson said it filed its counter suit in order to get an independent assessment of its global licensing offer since Apple refused to accept it.
"We have made an offer to Apple which is in accordance with our fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory commitment," Kasim Alfalahi, Ericsson's head of intellectual property, told AFP, adding that the company's licensing system does "not discriminate against any player in the industry".
Ericsson argued that its technology was behind the success of smartphones "such as the iPhone" and that Apple was trying to get an unfair advantage over its competitors. It added that it reinvests much of its licencing revenue into a $5bn research and development budget.
Ericsson holds more than 35,000 technology patents and 100 patent-licensing agreements and claims that Apple's complaint to the court "honed in" on a handful of patents rather than referring to global patent agreements which was how the mobile telecom industry worked. ■