With the European Commission investigating and fining a number of U.S. Companies successfully of late, European tech companies have now decided to try another approach at hitting U.S. Companies hard going forward regarding Intellectual Property. Apple and others beware -- Europe is getting ready for patent wars, reports BloombergBusiness today. The report further noted that "Some of Europe's biggest producers of intellectual property are teaming up to battle for rules that'll help them cash in better on innovation. Telecommunications network builder Ericsson AB, plane maker Airbus Group SE, French phone company Orange SA and train maker Alstom SA are among companies behind IP Europe, a consortium due to be unveiled today in Brussels.

Through IP Europe, companies plan to lobby the European Commission on patents and are hoping to level the playing field with technology, communications and other innovation-makers including in the U.S. and China.

Ericsson, who is listed ninth on the list of companies with the biggest number of patents filed in Europe, was entangled in a global licensing battle with Apple over such fundamental patents. The Swedish company claimed the iPhone maker infringed on its patents fundamental to the way mobile devices communicate, until they reached a settlement in December." For more on this, see the full BloombergBusiness report here.

A European publication covering the news today noted that "Today, Airbus, Ericsson and France patent announced the creation of IP Europe Alliance, a not-for-profit alliance aimed to defend the rights of patent and protect the equitable remuneration of innovators, market entry opportunities and the high quality products at affordable prices for consumers. IP Europe is supported by other major innovators such as Alstom, the Fraunhofer Institute and Orange, as well as several innovative SMEs and European research institutes."

The report further noted that advanced technology companies and research institutes in Europe are mobilizing to defend intellectual property and protect innovation so Europe can be in a position of strength in the negotiations on the Treaty of transatlantic free trade" and beyond. 

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