Chinese mobile device company OPPO and Finnish Nokia have resolved their long-running dispute over technological issues by signing a cross-licence agreement, a press report said.
The lawsuit was running from 2018 to mid-2021, as reported. However, both companies failed to agree on a new deal, resulting in Nokia taking legal action against OPPO in several countries across the globe.
It was also reported that the conflict between Nokia and OPPO began when Nokia formally filed patent infringement complaints against Oppo across Europe and Asia.
However, Nokia won all its arguments in the UK Willingness Trial against the Chinese company after a judge ruled that OPPO would have to decide between committing to a UK FRAND-determined license or being subject to an injunction for infringement.
In a statement released by Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies, they stated that they are delighted to have reached a cross-license agreement with Oppo, which reflects their mutual understanding of each other’s Intellectual Property and Nokia’s investments in R&D and contributions to open standards.
Under the terms of the agreement, Oppo will make royalty payments to Nokia, boosting its licensing revenue.
It also paves the way for OPPO to resume business in several European markets, including Germany, where it has been embroiled in legal disputes.
Meanwhile, OPPO”s Chief Intellectual Property officer Feng Ying said, “We are pleased to have reached this global patent cross-license agreement with Nokia, which includes cross-licensing for 5G standard-essential patents”.
He also said that OPPO continues to advocate for reasonable royalty fees and a long-term approach to Intellectual Property, which resolves disputes through amicable negotiations and mutual respect for the value of all Intellectual Property.
Prior to signing the agreement, OPPO had to stop the sales of its products and also delist many from the e-commerce platforms in many regions.
Both companies will provide long-term financial stability to their licensing business with the new agreement and the other major smartphone agreements.
The statement further added that the signed agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s Intellectual Property and lays the foundation for future collaboration between OPPO and Nokia.
The new agreement – along with the other major smartphone agreements we have concluded over the past year – will provide long-term financial stability to Nokia’s and OPPO’s licensing businesses.
