Lucent, Nokia win in Golden Bridge patent case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court sided with Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday, upholding a lower court's finding that a Golden Bridge Technology cellphone patent was invalid.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears all patent appeals, upheld the ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The patent in question makes it possible for multiple mobile phones to connect with the same cellular base station without interfering with each other, according to court documents.

"We are delighted that the federal appellate court upheld the summary judgment granted by the Texas trial court," said Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman Mary Ward. "We always believed the accusations were without merit and are glad the courts agreed with us."

Neither Nokia or Golden Bridge could be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn; Editing by Andre Grenon)