Nokia has kicked off legal action against HTC, RIM and tablet manufacturer ViewSonic in Germany, claiming all three parties infringe on the company's patents.

The patents in question – which number 45 in all – cross both hardware and software, ranging from power management to data encryption.

Weapon of choice

In a statement detailing the motivation behind the move, Nokia's chief legal office Louise Pentland claimed that the manufacturer had been forced to take action.

"Though we'd prefer to avoid litigation, Nokia had to file these actions to end the unauthorised use of our proprietary innovations and technologies, which have not been widely licensed," said Pentland.

"We'd rather that other companies respect our intellectual property and compete using their own innovations, but as these actions show, we will not tolerate the unauthorised use of our inventions.”

Additional action has been taken against HTC and ViewSonic in the US, with Nokia's claim against the Taiwanese firm filed with the US International Trade Commission.

If upheld, it could see ten of HTC's mobile phones and two of its tablets banned from sale across the country.

Small fry

Florian Mueller, founder of the Foss Patents blog, has claimed Nokia's victory over Apple in a similar patent dispute shows just what a force the Finnish firm is in such an arena.

"Compared to Apple, the defendants in the latest action are not only financially much weaker but they also lack Apple's retaliatory power," he concluded.

The move comes after Nokia noted in its most recent financials that it was looking to make more of its patent library, noting its "ability to protect numerous patented standardised or proprietary technologies from third-party infringement or actions" would have a direct bearing on its income in the coming quarters.

[sources: Nokia/Reuters]