Mobile phone maker Nokia has accused iPhone developer Apple of taking "a free ride" on the back of its technology.
The Finnish firm has filed a legal complaint against its competitor, claiming that Apple's iPhone has infringed its intellectual property rights.
In fact, the allegation relates to ten potential infringements of patents relating to GSM, UMTS - also known as 3G - and other wireless network standards that are used throughout Europe.
Ilkka Rahnasto, vice president for intellectual property at Nokia, states that Apple is expected to follow the mobile industry's "basic principle" in compensating for the use of other technology providers' intellectual property.
"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," he explains.
He also suggests this has been an ongoing issue and many other firms have signed the agreement that Apple has failed to put its name on.
Nokia published its third-quarter financial results earlier this month and the figures indicated that it had net sales of £8.94 billion, which was down 20 per cent year on year.
A number of industry commentators have put the results down to the success of smartphones such as Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.
