Apple has written to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) with an unequivocal commitment to provide a royalty-free licence for the micro-SIM design it wants to use in future iPhones and iPads, according to Florian Mueller. The move impart of an effort to establish the nano-SIM as a standard in the industry.
The Financial Times reported last week that Apple faces opposition from Nokia, RIM, and Motorola Mobility, who are concerned that Apple wants to control the standard and profit from it. According to the FT, Apple’s proposal for a nano-SIM, which would be significantly smaller than the micro-SIM currently used in smartphones, has the support of most European carriers.
Mueller said that Apple’s proposal ‘shows that Apple is serious about establishing the nano-SIM standard rather than seeking to cash in on it.’ In particular, it demonstrates Apple’s attitude towards ‘standards-essential’ patents (those patents considered integral to the operation of an industry or market) and the way it differs from its attitude towards patents for technologies such as multi-touch.
‘I watch Apple’s litigation around the globe and I don’t see them assert standard-essential patents, let alone seek injunctions based on them,’ wrote Mueller. ‘Apple’s attitude toward standard-essential patents sets an example that others, particularly Google, should follow.’
The two sides are set to clash at the Smart Card Platform Plenary in Southern France later this week.
