It's all about so called essential patents, which are standardized in the mobile industry. Their inventor cannot deny other manufacturers their usage but the inventor has the right to have a reasonable compensation for the patent use. These patents are e.g. for gsm, 3g and wifi technologies i.e. basic cellular radio electronics.

Usually other manufacturers pay compensation for the patents but Apple has decided that they'll benefit to market their product without paying to get market share and pay when they absolutely must to.

Someone asked how many patents do Apple and Nokia have. I don't know about Apple but Nokia has over 10 000 patents which is a very large amount in this industry. It's more than any other manufacturer have.

This is the way of the mobile industry.

Nokia remains important for Finland for other reasons than just the "glamour" of having a high tech company. For instance the city where Nokia has its factory, 90% of their business taxes come from Nokia and before the market slump Nokia's taxes equalled the amount that would pay the child benefits for the entire country. This is why it pisses me off about Nokia vs. Apple comparisons. It's not all about phones and business.

Ok, that's enough ranting about that issue...