Nokia Files EU Antitrust Complaint Against VoiceAge EVS

HMD Global Oy, the exclusive licensee of Nokia-branded smartphones, has filed a complaint to EU antitrust regulators against VoiceAge EVS’s patent practices and royalty rates.

Disputes over royalties have dogged the telecoms industry since the last decade. The most high profile were between Apple and Samsung Electronics, and Apple versus Qualcomm which the companies eventually settled among themselves.

HMD and VoiceAge EVS (VAEVS), which was set up in 2018 to license Canadian tech company VoiceAge Corp’s enhanced voice services patent portfolio, are fighting in courts in Germany, the United States and Brazil over various patents for technology related to voice calls.

Read more: Nokia Wins Antitrust Appeal On Auto-Licensing Policy

MD took its grievance to the EU competition watchdog on Thursday, according to a statement on its website.

“HMD has now also filed competition law complaints against VAEVS before the European Commission in order to seek the authorities to intervene in issues such as over-standardization, requirements for open standards and apparent non-FRAND demands and behaviour,” the company said.