With the Apple versus Nokia case at the US International Trade Commission kicking off this week, Business Week has been considering the ongoing legal battles that are currently engulfing the smartphone industry .

Since 2008, Apple has become the most sued US technology company. As well as Nokia, it has ongoing actions against Motorola and HTC over Google's Android mobile OS.

It's the law

For that reason, it's been bulking up on internal lawyers, hiring ex-Intel veteran Bruce Sewell as its general counsel and Noreen Krall to focus on intellectual property litigation.

External additions to its firepower include Robert Krupka of Kirkland & Ellis, who negotiated a settlement in which Apple agreed to pay $100 million to Creative, and William Lee of Boston law firm WilmerHale, who successfully won Broadcom $891 million from Qualcomm.

The International Trade Commission has the power to ban imports of products found to infringe US patents, but, in general, cases end with cash settlements as each company agrees to license the others' patents.

[source: Business Week]