Nokia said in this lawsuit that the patents in question relate to technologies for enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices.

In a release, Nokia says it has invested about Euro 40 billion on research and development over the past two decades and therefore it has one of the strongest and broadest intellectual property portfolios. Yesterday, it was pointed out Nokia spent almost six times as much as Apple on R&D last year alone. And, despite that, it still doesn’t have a competitive smartphone to show for it three years after the first iPhone was released.

Nokia held its annual meeting yesterday, where it said that it was satisfied and on track with its 2010 strategy, which includes making fewer, but more competitive smartphones in addition to rolling out mobile services. At the meeting, the board backed the management team’s goals despite hearing increasing buzz from investors that a leadership change is in order.

In volatile trading today, Apple’s stock was down nearly 2 percent to $239 a share. Nokia stock was trading up about 1 percent to $10.81 a share.