Nokia, Matsushita and Samsung sued over Bluetooth

Mobile phone manufacturers Nokia, Matsushita and Samsung are being sued over alleged patent infringements over their use of Bluetooth technology.

The claim is made by the Washington Research Institute, which handles patent licencing on behalf of the universities who originally developed Bluetooth technology.

According to a representative for the Washington Research Institute, they have been trying to resolve the issue with Nokia for three years, but have failed to see a “reasonable settlement”.

The filing specifically mentions UK chip maker CSR as infringing on Bluetooth payments. CSR is a major supplier to Nokia.

Rival US chipmaker Broadcom is claimed by the Washington Research Institute to have exclusive rights to patents on connecting mobile phones to other devices via Bluetooth technology.

Overall, this action looks like it could develop into a real headache for the major mobile phone operators and their manufacturers - not least because this is a claim made by a respected body.

While it’s difficult at this stage to determine the outcome, it wouldn’t surprise Platinax if the case drags out a couple of years before we see some form of settlement accepted from the mobile operators.