Make phones, not war: HTC and Nokia come to patent truce, plan future collabs

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Maybe Apple and Samsung could learn a thing or two

HTC
HTC and Nokia can finally take a break from their rivalry

The war is over - at least for HTC and Nokia.

The two hardware makers have reached an agreement that ends years of pending and ongoing patent litigation.

This truce comes just two days after a German court handed Nokia a decisive victory that would have required HTC to redesign several of its phones.

As part of the agreement, HTC will pay Nokia an undisclosed amount, presumably for patent licensing, so it doesn't have to go back to the drawing board for some of its devices.

Best friends forever

But the agreement doesn't only cover patents, and it appears Nokia and HTC are about to become closer than ever.

This deal also covers a "technology collaboration agreement," according to an announcement made by Nokia.

That means the companies will be working together on HTC's portfolio of LTE patents and on "future technology collaboration opportunities."

"We are very pleased to have reached a settlement and collaboration agreement with HTC, which is a long-standing licensee for Nokia's standards essential patents," Nokia Chief Intellectual Property Officer Paul Melin said in the company's statement.

Likewise, HTC is "pleased to come to this agreement, which will enable us to stay focused on innovation for consumers," HTC general counsel Grace Lei said.

The Patent Hammer of Truth (patent pending)

Nokia began whacking HTC over the head with the Patent Hammer of Truth in 2012, and has since won victories in the US, England and Germany.

Can you really blame HTC for wanting to settle things amicably? After all, it's no Apple or Samsung, waging a never-ending and pointless war.

Via The Verge

Michael Rougeau
Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.

Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.