What you need to know
- OPPO was involved in a patent battle with Nokia over the last two years over 5G patents.
- The lawsuit forced OPPO to exit key markets in Europe, including Germany.
- OPPO has now announced that it entered into a global cross-license deal with Nokia.
OPPO was embroiled in a lawsuit with Nokia over the use of 5G patents on its devices for the last two years, and the litigation curtailed the Chinese manufacturer’s efforts to gain a foothold in Europe. A German court sided with Nokia, claiming OPPO didn’t pay the Finnish manufacturer royalties for use of its standard-essential patents covering 5G. The move ultimately led OPPO to exit the German market altogether last year.
Both brands couldn’t get to an agreement over how much Nokia should be paid in royalties, so OPPO took the matter to a Chinese court, which predictably sided with the Chinese phone brand. Nokia took issue with the verdict, noting that the figures could only be applied to China and not global markets.
OPPO has now announced that it signed a global cross-license deal covering Nokia’s 5G patents, so clearly, both sides were able to arrive at an amount that they were comfortable with. OPPO didn’t disclose the amount, only noting that the deal resolves all lawsuits between the two entities.
Other Chinese phone brands had to sign similar deals with Nokia in the past, and this basically paves the way for OPPO to once again start selling its devices in Europe. OPPO didn’t divulge any additional information, but with Mobile World Congress just a month away, we should know more about the brand’s plans in the region soon. We may even get to see the Find X7 Ultra make its global debut.