(By Balaseshan) Unwired Planet Inc. (NASDAQ:UPIP), the inventor of the mobile Internet, said it has filed lawsuits against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) for infringing its 20 patents.
The complaints, which was filed by Unwired Planet in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, were to protect its intellectual property (IP) licensing business. In two separate complaints filed in Reno, Nevada, Unwired Planet charges Apple with infringing 10 of its patents, and charges Google with infringing 10 different patents.
Together, the two cases charge infringement of a total 20 patents related to smart mobile devices, cloud computing, digital content stores, push notification technologies and location-based services such as mapping and advertising.
"Apple and Google generate substantial revenues from devices and services that rely on the intellectual property that Unwired Planet developed and patented over the last 15 years. They should compensate us for the use of our patented technologies, which are foundational to mobility," said Mike Mulica, CEO of Unwired Planet.
As recently announced, Unwired Planet is relocating its operations to Nevada, which has developed specialized procedures to handle complex patent cases. As a result, the company believes the Nevada district will be an ideal venue to resolve this matter with efficiency and expertise.
Unwired Planet, founded in 1994, has been at the forefront of the mobile internet since the mid-1990s. The company has been awarded about 200 U.S. and foreign patents and has about 75 pending applications.
Mulica said the extensive patents named in the suits against Apple and Google, with the four patents pending in another case filed last year before the International Trade Commission against Apple and RIM showcases the breadth and depth of Unwired Planet's portfolio, which includes inventions key to mobility, including smart devices, cloud and push technologies, location-based advertising and services, and application and content access.
UPIP is trading up 5.95% at $1.96 on Thursday. The stock has been trading between $1.40 and $3.19 for the past 52 weeks.