Small nano-SIM cards causing big industry stir, Apple willing to forfeit any related patent fees now
The nano-SIM kerfuffle is in full swing in Europe, since this week the ETSI standradization body is supposed to announce its verdict in France. Last week Nokia, RIM, Motorola and the others complained that Apple is trying to outvote them in favor of its own nano-SIM standard by registering subsidiaries with voting rights in the last moment.
Apple's solution for the upcoming nano-SIM standard is still tray-loading, which Nokia says is inferior to its own solution, since it occupies the same space as a regular SIM card, and jams into existing micro-SIM slots anyway.
Apple's solution, which will benefit its current tray SIM card slot design, has received the backing of most major EU carriers, but the European Commission is known for putting the carriers in their places on numerous occasions, such as setting price ceilings for their roaming charges, so the backing doesn't mean much.
The lawyers from Cupertino are now willing to forfeit any patent licensing fees that Nokia and the rest were afraid will be collected by Apple if its standard gets approved, but in a letter to ETSI the fruit company says it wants reciprocity for the patents held by other companies regarding the new nano-SIM standard.
Small card, big issues, a lot of popcorn to be eaten until the the Smart Card Platform Plenary meeting later this week in Southern France.
source: FOSSPatents
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