Last year Nokia sued Apple in Germany and the US, alleging that Apple has infringed a number of Nokia patents. Today both the companies have announced that they have agreed to drop all litigation related to their intellectual property dispute and also signed a multi-year patent license.
Details of the agreement are confidential, however Nokia said that it will receive an up-front cash payment from Apple, with additional revenues during the term of the agreement without mentioning the amount.
Under a business collaboration agreement, Nokia will be providing certain network infrastructure products and services to Apple. Apple will resume selling Nokia’s digital health products in Apple retail and online stores. Apple and Nokia are also exploring future collaboration in digital health initiatives.
Regarding the patent deal, Maria Varsellona, Chief Legal Officer at Nokia, responsible for Nokia’s patent licensing business, said:
This is a meaningful agreement between Nokia and Apple.It moves our relationship with Apple from being adversaries in court to business partners working for the benefit of our customers.
Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said:
We are pleased with this resolution of our dispute and we look forward to expanding our business relationship with Nokia.