Nokia today saw its Netherlands case thrown out of court on the grounds they hadn't explained it properly, three weeks after the same thing happened in Germany - but the war of patents between the two companies continues.

This case was brought on the grounds that Nokia shouldn't pay patent fees to Qualcomm because such fees are already paid by Texas Instruments, who supply chips to Nokia. But Nokia has been paying hundreds of millions in royalties on the basis of an agreement signed years ago, at least until April when that agreement came up for renewal.

The dismissal is far from the end of the matter, and Nokia is keen to emphasise that the court has not ruled against the company but just felt their case was too vague. Nokia has three months to appeal, which should give them time to tighten up their arguments if they so wish.

Still, this is just one round in the ongoing battle between the two companies, or rather between Qualcomm and the rest of the world. Qualcomm makes its money from its wall of patents, and is fighting on many fronts to maintain that income, but this small victory will be comfort in their ongoing conflict. ®

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