Apple and Nokia settle cellphone patent disputes
Apple Inc. and Nokia Corp. have reached a settlement that would end 2-year-old patent disputes over mobile phone technology.
In the agreement, Apple will provide Nokia a one-time payment as well as licensing royalties in the future — although Nokia, which announced the settlement, wouldn’t say how much Apple would pay.
The payments will cover all past and ongoing use of patented Nokia technology by Apple, the Finnish tech company said.
“We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees,” Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop said in a statement. “This settlement demonstrates Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.”
Both companies have agreed to drop their patent suits against each other, Nokia said, but other terms of the agreement are confidential.
Apple officials were unavailable for comment on the settlement Tuesday.
The disputes between the two firms, covering more than 30 patents, came in complaints to the U.S. International Trade Commission relating to technology used in touch-based user interfaces, on-device app stores and other mobile features used in Nokia phones and Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch products.
Nokia said it has spent more than $62 billion over the last 20 years in research and development to build a portfolio of more than 10,000 “patent families” and that “this agreement is expected to have a positive financial impact on Nokia’s recently revised outlook for the second quarter 2011.”
