EU: Apple and Nokia settle their differences

Apple and Nokia have reached a deal after a testy legal dispute over the Finnish company’s patents.

The two sides announced the agreement in a joint statement yesterday, five months after they had sued each other over royalty payments.

The deal will see Apple make a sizeable one-off payment, as well as future fees, for the use of Nokia’s technology. Analysts estimated the deal was worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Nokia.

The company suffered immensely at the hands of the iPhone, and no longer makes handsets after selling its mobile business to Microsoft in 2013. While most of its revenue comes from telecoms infrastructure, it is seeking to bolster income from the valuable patents it still retains from its days as the world’s dominant mobile phone company.

After a long-running deal with Apple expired last year, Nokia sued it for violating 32 patents used in the iPhone. Apple sued back, calling Nokia a “patent troll” and saying it had refused to license the technology on a fair basis.

On Tuesday, the companies said they had settled all litigation and reached a new agreement. It will see Nokia’s healthcare gadgets return to Apple stores after they were removed last year, and the two companies said they might work together on healthcare initiatives.

Full Content: Apple

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