Finnish handset manufacturer Nokia and its collaboration partner Microsoft have been named in a complaint to the European Commission by the internet giant Google, which claims that the companies violated anti-cartel laws by deliberately providing 1,200 patents to Canadian patent broker MOSAID.
Google alleges that the main objective of so-called patent trolls like MOSAID is to challenge other companies in costly patent infringement lawsuits.
Last year the beleaguered Finnish phonemaker earned 500 million euros from its patents. Google has charged that Nokia is trying to increase its revenues with the help of MOSAID.
Responding to the charges, Microsoft said that Google’s claims were the “desperate tactics” of a business that holds 95 percent of the world’s mobile phone advertising and search services