Nokia's legal action potentially massively damaging to their reputation

Nokia’s name is already mud in Silicon Valley, for a whole range of different reasons. For a large part, many people misunderstand the company, it’s reach, size, pedigree — and find it extremely easy to completely dismiss.

Whilst in the Valley, I’ve seen many a senior Nokia (or Symbian) executive, accustomed to being treated with a certain level of deference, being snubbed either unwittingly or in some cases deliberately. Snubbed by the media, by the tech elite and by the developers.

The fact that the company shifts BUCKETLOADS of handsets and is still one of the largest players on the planet is entirely lost on most of Silicon Valley.

The company was at best overlooked and at worst deemed irrelevant.

Silicon Valley is the centre of the mobile planet. That’s not going to change for some time. And when the centre of the Universe keeps forgetting you, that’s not good news. But it’s not a critical problem.

Not until you do the equivalent of burning the Silicon Valley poster child.

Yes. Nokia is suing Apple.

All of a sudden, University Avenue, Palo Alto, is alive with furious Tweeters telling their networks exactly what they think of Nokia.

There are far-reaching ramifications to Nokia’s offensive against Apple.

When I read the news on the BBC, I immediately switched over to the bible of Silicon Valley: TechCrunch.

“Goodness me,” I thought to myself, “TechCrunch will either flail Nokia-alive, or not bother even to mention it.”

It’s the former.

John Biggs of CrunchBase fires both barrels over at Nokia. The headline?

Nokia Takes Apple To Court. If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Sue ‘Em.

John finishes his post with this explanation:

Nokia has been struggling to gain traction in the high-end phone market now that we live in an iPhone world and this may be a last ditch effort to derail futre models or, assuming they’re going for a bit more mercenary approach, cash in on some of the iPhone’s success.

I guarantee Rafe Blandford of All About Symbian is right now banging his forehead on the desk at this analysis.

But John’s language is an accurate representation of a lot of the Valley opinion that I’ve been able to measure this afternoon.

The Silicon Valley Insider goes slightly further:

Lame Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Patent Infringement

The Insider’s Jay Yarow is decidedly unimpressed by the move:

Yawn.

Nokia should focus on trying to build a better product.

I do like Jay’s perspective: build a better product.

I understand Nokia has to vigorously protect it’s intellectual assets — especially in the face of a competitor who is — allegedly — not playing ball.

A lot of people are going to view the action as case of incredibly expensive ‘sour grapes’.

Please don’t take your eye off the ball, Nokia.