In a patent-infringement lawsuit filed by Nokia in the Federal District Court of Delaware, the Finnish mobile bigwig has alleged that Apple has violated as many as ten of its patents, including those pertaining to its GSM, UMTS, and Wi-Fi standards .

Claiming that its patented speech coding, security, wireless data transmission, and other technologies are used in every Apple iPhone, Nokia said that while these technologies are licensed and paid for by at least 40 other tech companies, Apple's infringement of the patents essentially results from its non-payment of any licensing charge.

In a statement, Nokia's Legal VP, Ilkka Rahnasto, said: "The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for. By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia's intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation."

Nokia further claimed that the patent-infringement by Apple dates back to mid-2007 when iPhone was launched, equipped with the technologies on the research and development of which Nokia has spent almost $90 billion over the past two decades.

However, what is surprising is the fact that the timing of the patent-infringement case against Apple coincides with a notable drop in Nokia's smartphone market share from 41 percent to 35 percent in a single quarter!