Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has filed suits against Apple in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. For more than two years Ericsson has been trying to reach an agreement with Apple on a global license for Ericsson's patents on terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND), but the companies have failed to reach an amicable resolution. According to Chief Intellectual Property Officer of Ericsson, Apple continues to take benefit from Ericsson’s technology without having a valid license.

These patents refer to technology related to the 2G and 4G/LTE standards, as well as other technology that is not standardized, but is related to, for instance, the design of semiconductor components and non-cellular wireless communications. Ericsson is confident that the matter will be resolved in the fair manner.