The war is over: HTC and Nokia make nice by signing patent licensing agreement
It’s an outcome we didn’t see coming (at least not this early on), but after countless courtroom losses, HTC is finally ready to throw in the towel. In a press release today by Nokia, the Finnish company has announced a new “technology and collaboration agreement” with HTC, ending any, and all, patent ligation between the two companies.
According to the presser, both companies will collab on HTC’s LTE patent portfolio as well as future “opportunities”. We can’t place a specific dollar amount on how much HTC will be paying Nokia to license their standards essential patents as the full terms of the agreement are “confidential”. HTC’s response?
“As an industry pioneer in smartphones with a strong patent portfolio, HTC is pleased to come to this agreement, which will enable us to stay focused on innovation for consumers.”
Good for them, and if you thought HTC should have kept fighting the good fight, keep in mind that they weren’t the first smartphone manufacture to buckle under Nokia’s pressure. Some might remember when Nokia and Apple both settled similar suits back in 2011.
[via WinSource]