It looks like the first actual trials will start only in 2012, when a U.S. court should decide which company infringed which patents.

Handset leader Nokia sued iPhone maker Apple last October, accusing the U.S. firm of using its patented technologies without paying for them.

Nokia is seeking payment of up to 1 billion euros ($1.36 billion), analysts say.

Apple filed a countersuit in Delaware on December 11 accusing Nokia of infringing 13 Apple patents. It later removed four patents from the list.

Legal battles are increasingly common in the mobile industry as players vie for a piece of the fast-growing smartphone market.

source: rightmobilephone/reuters