Ericsson extends patent suits against Apple to Europe

STOCKHOLM, May 8 (Reuters) - Swedish mobile telecom equipment maker Ericsson (Xetra: ERCA.DE - news) has filed lawsuits in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands against Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) over technology licence payments, Ericsson said on Friday.

Ericsson said it had offered to enter into arbitration with Apple to reach a global licensing agreement for its patents, but that offer had now expired.

"Apple continues to profit from Ericsson's technology without having a valid licence in place," said Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson.

"Our technology is used in many features and functionality of today's communication devices. We are confident the courts in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands will be able to help us resolve this matter in a fair manner," he added.

Apple was not immediately available for comment about the legal action in the three European countries, which relates to 2G and 4G/LTE mobile communications standards.

Ericsson had already filed a complaint in mid-January in the United States against Apple, responding to a lawsuit from the iPhone maker.

Last year, smartphone maker Samsung Electronics Co agreed to pay Ericsson $650 million along with years of royalties to end a licence dispute.

If the dispute with Apple also went Ericsson's way, the U.S. firm would have to pay it between 2-6 billion Swedish crowns ($240-725 million) annually, analysts said, based on estimates of levels of handset sales and royalty payments per phone. ($1 = 8.2650 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Olof Swahnberg; editing by David Clarke and Keith Weir)