Bluetooth patent suit hits Nokia, Samsung and Matsushita

^{Edwin Suominen’s invention} Bluetooth patent suit hits Nokia, Samsung and Matsushita

6 Jan 2007 at 10:41 GMT Timo Poropudas

Washington Research Foundation (WRF), an organization that helps the Washington State University market and sell its IP and technology, last month has filed a patent suit against Nokia, Samsung and Matsushita over the Bluetooth chips in their mobile phones and consumer electronics.

WRF claims that these companies are using Bluetooth chips that violate the University’s patents. These chips are made by Cambridge, UK-based CRS. The way out for the companies would be use chips from Broadcom, a US company, that has a licensing agreement with the University.

CSR promised to defend its products “vigorously”. It said in a statement that the legal suit is “without merit in relation to CSR’s Bluetooth chips”.

The wireless Bluetooth technology was developed by Ericsson in the mid-1990s and made available at no cost to other companies to establish a wireless standard.

WRF claims in the lawsuit that University of Washington student Edwin Suominen developed technology for a “simplified high-frequency broadband tuner and tuning method” at the same time.

WRF holds four patents on the technology developed by Suominen. The lawsuit seeks damages and asks the court to issue an injunction to stop Matsushita, Nokia and Samsung from selling their Bluetooth products.

Nokia said it only recently received the complaint and is still evaluating WRF’s claims.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group says that there are approximately 852 products from 358 different companies that use Bluetooth technology. More than 9.5 million Bluetooth products are shipping every week.