Ericsson filed lawsuits in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands against Apple over technology license payments.

Ericsson said it had offered to enter into arbitration with Apple to reach a global licensing agreement for its patents, but that offer had now expired.

Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson said that Jobs' Mob continued to make stonking profits from Ericsson's ideas without having a valid license in place.

"Our technology is used in many features and functionality of today's communication devices. We are confident the courts in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands will be able to help us resolve this matter in a fair manner," he added.

Apple spokeswoman is saying nothing, of course. The patent relates to 2G and 4G/LTE mobile communications standards and non-standardised technology.

Apple has admitted in the past that it did not invent the technology, but it had been unable to agree with Ericsson on a fair rate for their patents. It is asking the courts for help.

Ericsson had already filed a complaint in mid-January in the United States against Apple, responding to a lawsuit from the iPhone maker.

Last year, smartphone maker Samsung Electronics agreed to pay Ericsson $650 million along with years of royalties to end a license dispute.

It has been estimated that Apple would have to write a cheque for $240-725 million annually, analysts said, based on estimates of levels of handset sales and royalty payments per phone.