The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to launch an investigation into patent infringement claims against Nokia Corp., which filed its own complaint with the commission in August.

The complaint against Nokia comes from InterDigital Inc., a vendor of wireless technology products based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. InterDigital filed a complaint on Aug. 7 alleging that Nokia has infringed two of InterDigital's 3G (third-generation) wireless patents. InterDigitals' complaint accused Nokia of an unfair trade practice by importing 3G handsets into the U.S., and it asked the ITC to bar Nokia from importing products with the infringing technology.

The ITC, in a news release Wednesday, said it has initiated an investigation into InterDigital's complaint. The commission will set a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days, the ITC said.

"The ITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case," the commission said.

Nokia, based in Finland, filed its ITC complaint Aug. 17, asking the commission to ban the import of Qualcomm Inc. chipsets that allegedly infringe on five Nokia patents. The commission banned some Qualcomm imports in June, after complaints from Broadcom Corp.

A Nokia spokeswoman didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on the ITC investigation.

The InterDigital patents involve algorithms for how 3G wireless signals most efficiently travel through the air, said Jack Indekeu, InterDigital's director of corporate marketing. The company has been talking with Nokia about the patent claims, he said.

"We haven't moved forward," Indekeu said. "That's why we have to move in this direction."

The InterDigital claims don't directly relate to the patent claims against Qualcomm, he added. "Companies that have spent the time and resources to invent technology are protecting their intellectual property," he said.

IDG News Service

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