Ericsson has filed lawsuits in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands against Apple over technology license payments, Ericsson said on Friday. The Swedish company had offered to enter into arbitration with Apple to reach a global licensing agreement for its standard-essential patents, but says that offer has now expired.

Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson, says: "Apple continues to profit from Ericsson's technology 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."

The proceedings in the three countries were recently initiated and refer to the 2G and 4G/LTE standards, as well as other technology that is not standardized, but is related to, for instance, the design of semiconductor components and non-cellular wireless communications.

For more than two years Ericsson has been trying to reach an agreement with Apple on a global license for Ericsson's patents on terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND), but the companies have failed to reach an amicable resolution.

"Ericsson's national lawsuits in Europe are other efforts to protect and support its investment in R&D," the company said.

ricsson 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.