Nokia, Apple sign long-term cross licence agreement

By Alexander Chiejina.

NOKIA has signed a new patent cross-license agreement with Apple which will replace the current licence that is due to expire at the end of 2023 even as the terms of the agreement remain confidential between the parties, Business A.M. gathered.

Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies, said: “We are delighted to have concluded a long-term patent license agreement with Apple on an amicable basis. The agreement reflects the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio, decades-long investments in R&D, and contributions to cellular standards and other technologies,” according to a statement made available to Business A.M.

Nokia expects to recognize the revenue related to this new patent licence agreement starting in January 2024. The agreement is consistent with the assumptions Nokia has disclosed in the commentary with respect to Nokia Technologies long-term outlook in its financial report for Q1 issued on April 20, 2023.

Nokia’s patent portfolio is built on more than €140 billion invested in R&D since 2000 and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 5,500 patent families declared essential to 5G. Nokia contributes its inventions to open standards in return for the right to licence them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. Companies can licence and use these technologies without the need to make their own substantial investments in the standards, fueling innovation and the development of new products and services for consumers.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, the company is pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging its work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks.

The company said service providers, enterprises and partners engage it to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today, adding that providers work with Nokia to create the digital services and applications of the future.