Contentious patent litigation amongst technology companies is certainly not a new phenomenon. In fact, a roundtable discussion was held in Geneva last October to discuss the rampant litigation occurring within the telecommunications sector, with the stated aim of coming to a broad agreement on what the term "reasonable" meant in (F)RAND agreements, as well as potentially taking injunctive relief off the table. This roundtable featured representatives from all the major players in the sector such as Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Nokia (NOK), BlackBerry (BBRY), amongst a slew of others. Not surprisingly, companies that have struggled in the sector of late, yet hold key patents, took the position that litigation is a normal part of the business. Nokia, for example, submitted the following as part of their roundtable discussion:

"Patent litigation as such is not a sign of market failure - rather it represents the only available remedy ultimately for IP holders to enforce their right to exclusivity or to compensation from unwilling licensees. As open standards are publicly available, developers of the technology cannot withhold their contributions from non-paying customers, like a box-maker could simply stop shipments. Litigation is an integral part of the IP system, and the use of courts to resolve disputes between competitors is simply a sign of a vibrant and functioning market."