Nokia filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington earlier this week to back Apple's intentions of permanently banning select Samsung phones from being sold in America. The documents were sealed upon delivery but a summary from the Finnish handset maker said the court was wrong to deny Apple's ban request.
Nokia's move won't get them directly involved in the legal battle but rather, they are simply offering up their opinion on the matter for the court to mull over. The company lays claim to more than 10,000 patents and is no stranger to the court room as they have battled with others (even Apple) in recent memory. In this instance, they aren't specifically supporting either side but they are backing Apple's right to seek a ban on products that they believe infringe on patents they own.
Keith Broyles, one of Nokia's attorneys, believes U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh from San Jose, California, made an error when she ruled that Apple must show cause and effect with regards to alleged patent violations and demand for the iPhone.
He believes that such a ruling could cause widespread damage to the patent protection landscape. If left unchanged, Broyles believes the ruling could severely restrict or in some cases outright eliminate the ability of a patent holder to obtain injunction relief.
A California court ruled late last year that Apple hadn't shown enough evidence to highlight a direct tie between demand for Samsung smartphones and IP that they allegedly infringed upon, therefore Apple's request for a sales ban was denied.