Nokia has announced that it has signed a new patent cross-license agreement with vivo, covering both parties’ fundamental inventions in cellular technologies. This also ends the long dispute between Nokia and vivo in all jurisdictions over patent payments.
Nokia said that it will receive payments from vivo for a multi-year period, along with catch-up payments to cover the dispute period. However, the terms of the agreement remain confidential between the parties, said the company, so there are no details yet on how much the deal is worth.
Nokia signed a multi-year 5G patent deal with OPPO last month, ending disputes. This is the sixth major smartphone agreement that Nokia has concluded in the past 12 months.
vivo said that it has filed patent applications in over 70 countries and regions, owning a patent portfolio of 25,000 families, as of December 31, 2023. This includes over 6,000 families of 5G standard-essential patents, with over 2,500 families declared to ETSI and approximately 13,500 standard document submissions to 3GPP.
Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said:
We are delighted to have reached an agreement with vivo, which reflects mutual respect for each other’s intellectual property rights. vivo is one of the leading players in the global smartphone industry. We look forward to bringing more innovation to their users around the world through our collaboration. By concluding the licensing agreement with vivo, it demonstrates Nokia’s significant contribution to key technologies in smartphone industry and it will provide long-term stability to our licensing business for years to come.
Xianwen Xu, General Manager of Legal Affairs Department at vivo, stated:
vivo has dedicated significant resources to R&D in the field of 5G technology and established a comprehensive IP portfolio globally, creating an industry-leading patent portfolio. Up to now, vivo has successfully filed over 6,000 families of 5G standard-essential patents. We are pleased to have reached a global cross-license agreement with Nokia. Signing the agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s patent value in cellular technology, and also plays a significant role in fostering a positive development environment within the industry. vivo consistently places a high value on building and accumulating intellectual property. We are dedicated to investing in R&D of smart devices and intelligent services, providing extraordinary hi-tech products and services for users worldwide.