Apple’s ongoing battle with Nokia which began in October last year has spread across the Atlantic to the UK where the company is accusing Nokia of infringing nine smartphone patents.

In a statement to the BBC Nokia stated that it was “unsurprised” by the move.

“It changes nothing in the fundamentals of the matter, which are rooted in Apple’s refusal to respect Nokia’s intellectual property and attempt to free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation,” added a Nokia spokesperson.

Last year Nokia accused Apple of infringing 10 patents related to Global System for Mobile communications, or GSM; wireless local area network, or WLAN; and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, or UMTS.

Apple quickly struck back in December 2010 and since then both companies have expanded their cases.