iPad Goes International, Gets Apple Sued By Nokia

Apple today announced that the iPad will be available in a handful of countries outside of the U.S. starting May 28. Right on the heels of that announcement, Nokia made sure to fire off a lawsuit at Apple, claiming that the iPad 3G infringes on five of its patents. In other words, today is like any other day in the volatile mobile industry.iPad Goes International

Residents of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. have something to look forward to. Starting May 28, the Apple iPad will be officially available though Apple retail stores and Apple.com, rather than via the grey market. Pricing will vary by country, but Apple said that all versions of the iPad will go on sale, including the iPad 3G, which was just released in the U.S. this week.

Apple plans to release the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.

iPad 3G Lawsuit

Nokia has decided that Apple doesn't deserve all the credit for the iPad's success to date. Nokia has filed a second lawsuit against Apple over patent violations. This time, Nokia says the iPhone and iPad 3G (the version with a cellular radio inside), are infringing on five of Nokia's patents.

Nokia says, "The patents in question relate to technologies for enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices. These patented innovations are important to Nokia's success as they allow improved product performance and design."

The iPad 3G has only been available for a week, and already Nokia has torn it apart, looking for gold in the form of patent violations. Nice.

Nokia sued Apple in late 2009 over a number of alleged patent violations regarding cellular technology. Apple filed a countersuit. The U.S. International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate Apple's claims against Nokia. Apple is hoping to prevent Nokia from importing its products into the U.S. Nokia is doing the same thing with European regulatory bodies. Neither of those cases has been resolved.

[Via Nokia]