Apple, Google Face New Patent Lawsuits (AAPL, GOOG, UPIP, RIMM)

Both Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) were targeted with new lawsuits claiming the two companies infringed on smartphone patents owned by Unwired Planet LLC (NASDAQ: UPIP). Unwired Planet has charged each with violating 10 patents although none of the alleged infringements overlaps. The charges are related to “smart mobile devices, cloud computing, digital content stores, push notification technologies and location-based services such as mapping and advertising.”

Unwired Planet’s CEO said:

Apple and Google generate substantial revenues from devices and services that rely on the intellectual property that Unwired Planet developed and patented over the last 15 years. They should compensate us for the use of our patented technologies, which are foundational to mobility.

The company also has pending patent litigation on four patents allegedly infringed by Apple and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM).

The company claims to hold approximately 200 U.S. and foreign patents and is seeking approval for 25 more. Unwired Planet, originally known as Openwave, claims to be “the inventor of the mobile Internet.”

For a list of the patents allegedly infringed by Apple and Google, see Unwired Planet’s press release.

Shares of Unwired Planet’s stock are up 6.5% this morning, at $1.97 in a 52-week range of $1.40 to $3.19.

Paul Ausick