Business in brief: Nokia widens fight with Apple

New York – Nokia Corp. is broadening a legal dispute it already has with Apple Inc. over the iPhone, saying almost all of the company’s other products also violate the Finnish phone maker’s patents.

Nokia said Tuesday that it has filed a complaint against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, alleging Apple’s iPhone, iPods and computers all violate Nokia’s intellectual property rights.

At issue are key features found in Apple products, including aspects of user interface, cameras, antenna and power management technologies, Nokia said. The company claims that the technologies in question help cut manufacturing costs, reduce gadget size and prolong battery life.

Apple has denied the charges and this month countered with its own lawsuit in the Delaware court, saying Nokia has copied aspects of the iPhone in its devices.

Associated Press

NBC criticized over plane trip

New York – The Society of Professional Journalists condemned NBC News for practicing “checkbook journalism” by chartering a jet that carried a New Jersey man involved in a bitter custody battle and his son home from Brazil.

David Goldman, who successfully fought the Brazilian family of his now-deceased ex-wife for custody of 9-year-old Sean, granted an interview to Meredith Vieira of NBC’s “Today” show that aired Monday.

NBC said Goldman was booked for “Today” before the network invited him on the plane. The network had already arranged for the plane to bring its own employees home for Christmas, NBC News spokeswoman Lauren Kapp said.

Most news organizations say they don’t pay for interviews. But critics say the commonly used practice of paying to license photos or video from a subject matter or paying for someone’s travel is a way of getting around the restriction.

Associated Press

Mercedes misses MPG standard

The federal government says Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc. has paid a $6.8 million fine for failing to comply with federal fuel-efficiency requirements.

Mercedes, a division of Daimler AG, paid the fines for violations dealing with imported passenger cars for the 2008 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collected fines from six automakers in 2009 totaling more than $13 million.

Many manufacturers of luxury vehicles consider the fuel efficiency fines as the cost of doing business. The fines were created to ensure vehicles meet basic gas mileage standards. Mercedes paid a $28.9 million fine last year.

Associated Press