Nokia signs patent licence agreement with China-based Oppo
Finland-based telecoms company Nokia today announced that it has signed a “multi-year” patent licence agreement with Chinese smartphone maker Oppo Electronics.
It comes after Nokia entered into a patent deal with another Chinese electronics company, in 2017. Under that business cooperation and patent agreement, Xiaomi acquired patents from Nokia and the Finnish company agreed to help Xiaomi advance its technology.
Terms of the agreement between Nokia and Oppo are confidential, though Nokia said that Oppo will make payments to it for the multi-year licence period.
Maria Varsellona, chief legal officer at Nokia and president of Nokia Technologies, said: “Oppo is one of the leaders in the smartphone industry and we are pleased to welcome them as a Nokia licensee. This agreement further validates our global licensing programme.”
Earlier this year, Nokia announced that it will cap 5G patent licensing fees at €3 ($3.48) per device when standards for the new mobile technology are finalised, which is expected to be later this year.
And, last month, Oppo claimed that one of its phones had successfully completed 5G internet access, in a first for the entire industry. The Chinese company is planning to launch 5G phones in 2019.
News of the licensing deal comes shortly after Ilkka Rahnasto, who was head of Nokia’s patent business, joined patent licensing company Marconi as senior vice president. Rahnasto had a 21-year tenure at Nokia, where he played a key role in many of the company’s licensing arrangements.
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