Nokia Files Brief to Support Apple's Request to Block Sale of Samsung Products

As noted by Reuters, Nokia this week filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in support of Apple's bid to block the sale of certain Samsung products previously ruled to have infringed on Apple's patents.

The brief, which is currently sealed but explained in a summary (via AppleInsider) by Nokia attorney Keith Broyles, argues that Judge Lucy Koh was wrong when she ruled that Apple must establish a "causal nexus" between the patented feature and demand for a product before a permanent injunction request is granted.

The filing comes several months after Judge Koh had denied Apple's injunction request.

Nokia's brief wasn't filed specifically to support Apple, but because Nokia feels that Judge Koh's ruling "could cause wide-ranging damage to the United States patent protection landscape." Broyles goes on to argue that Nokia is advocating for patent rights to foster innovation.

"Nokia has recently been involved in numerous U.S. patent lawsuits, as both a plaintiff and defendant. Nokia is thus both a significant patent owner that might seek an injunction to protect its patent rights, and a manufacturer in an industry in which patent owners routinely issue threats of injunctions for patent infringement."

Back in 2009, Apple and Nokia were embroiled in a patent dispute but that ended in 2011 when the two settled and entered into a patent license agreement.

Nokia is the only company to file in support of Apple, and will have an opportunity for companies and advocacy groups to support its position when it files its own brief later this year.