Apple to pay Nokia license fees to end patent dispute

Nokia - disconnecting Apple from its cash
Nokia - disconnecting Apple from its cash

Apple has signed a patent license agreement with Nokia, bringing years of litigation to an end.

There's no indication of how much Apple will be paying Nokia in order to make use of its protected technology features, although we do know that the tech giant will be paying Nokia a one time fee as well as on-going royalties.

"We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees," crows Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, an ex-Microsoft executive who's no doubt in raptures over the agreement.

"This settlement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

Good news for Nokia? How novel

The allegedly infringed patents caused the Finnish company to sue Apple over technology used in the iPhone back in 2009, with Apple swiftly retaliating with a counter lawsuit accusing Nokia of infringing its patents.

The trial itself wasn't expected to make it to the courtroom until 2012, but it seems that it's all been put to bed early by this unexpected agreement with all patent litigation between the two companies ending with this decision.

The rare bit of good news for Nokia is "expected to have a positive financial impact" on Nokia's recently down-graded financial outlook for the second quarter of 2011.

Via SlashGear

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