Nokia Signs 5G Patent Deal With China's Vivo, Ending Dispute

By Dominic Chopping

Nokia has signed a multiyear patent cross-license agreement with Vivo, bringing to an end a yearslong dispute over the Chinese smartphone maker's use of the Finnish company's patented 5G technology in its devices.

Nokia and Vivo had a patent license agreement that ended in 2021, but after failing to agree on a new deal, Nokia initiated legal action in a number of countries.

Monday's agreement resolves all pending patent litigation between the parties in all jurisdictions and will see Vivo make royalty payments along with catch-up payments, Nokia said.

Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, but Nokia said it will begin recognizing net sales from the deal in the first quarter of 2024.

"This is the sixth major smartphone patent license agreement we have signed in the past thirteen months, and we have now almost completed our smartphone license renewal cycle," said Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies.

Similar deals have been signed with Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Honor and Oppo.

Nokia said it remains confident that Nokia Technologies--the unit that houses the Finnish telecom equipment provider's patent portfolio--will have an annual net sales run-rate of 1.4 billion to 1.5 billion euros ($1.51 billion - $1.62 billion) in the midterm.

Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 05, 2024 02:48 ET (07:48 GMT)

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