Nokia has lost out in a bid to invalidate a patent held by German intellectual property company IPCom, although Bloomberg reports that Nokia attempted to put a positive spin on the outcome. The UK High Court deemed that the patent involved is valid and was infringed by two Nokia devices, with Bernhard Frohwitter, IPCom’s managing director, noting that: “as far as we know, this is the first time that an essential telecoms 3G patent was ever upheld and judged infringed in the UK, a jurisdiction well-known for being very demanding for patent holders.” The court ruled that Nokia did not infringe the patent with a third device, and a Nokia spokesman said that current devices are also not affected. “This means that we can continue selling those products, now with legal certainty,” Nokia told Bloomberg via email. However, Frohwitter argued that “Nokia is clearly misleading the public on what the court ruled today.”

Nokia has been embroiled in a legal battle with IPCom for some time, and has previously had some success in its actions. IPCom is seeking royalties for patents it acquired from industrial company Robert Bosch. Some observers noted that while the IPCom ruling is something of a setback for Nokia, it is nothing compared to its recent success in securing a settlement with Apple – although as yet the financial implications of this deal are not clear.