After almost two years of a massive patent debacle, Oppo and Nokia now reached a deal that would license the former for the issue regarding the disputed technology. During the heat of this battle, Oppo and its subsidiary brand, OnePlus, were forced to withdraw their sales in Germany, but later, there were speculations that both were planning to fully leave Europe for good.
In this latest development from Oppo and Nokia, there is a possibility of an EU return soon, but there are no explicit confirmations regarding this yet.
Oppo, Nokia Reach a Licensing Deal After Patent Dispute
(Photo : JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Oppo, the company and Nokia recently reached a patent cross-license deal after years of patent dispute, alleging an infringement on the Finnish tech company's technology which was the case's highlight before. With this, both parties will rescind their pending litigations against the other, and this would span across all jurisdictions.
This new deal covers the standard-essential patents in 5G, as well as other technologies in cellular communication for both Oppo and Nokia.
We are pleased to have reached this global patent cross-license agreement with Nokia, which includes cross-licensing for 5G standard-essential patents. This agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other's intellectual property and lays the foundation for future collaboration between OPPO and Nokia.
Feng Ying, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at OPPO.
It remains unknown if this marks the confirmation of Oppo and OnePlus' return to the European market after the dramatic exit that happened years ago. Nokia's President, Jenni Lukander, stated "The new agreement - along with the other major smartphone agreements we have concluded over the past year - will provide long-term financial stability to our licensing business."
The Oppo and Nokia Patent Dispute
It was back in 2021 when Nokia first claimed that Oppo infringed their patent, with the Finnish tech company claiming that the initial agreements between the two lapsed, and the Chinese company decided not to renew. With this, Nokia filed a patent suit against them, with the Finnish company best known for going against tech giants for the use of their technology.
This was a long and enduring battle for Oppo and Nokia, with both companies seeing its massive effects on their brands.
Last year, there were uncertainties behind Oppo's availability in Europe, with initial rumors claiming that it was exiting this region and the respective countries within it. This also includes the Oppo brand known as OnePlus, with further talks regarding its departure in the UK, Germany, and France regions as well.
Since 2022, Oppo has no longer selling its products in Germany, including its subsidiary, OnePlus, but the latest development with Nokia may be reopening the gates that were once closed.
Oppo and Nokia's licensing deal expels the bad blood between the smartphone giants and helps improve more of what the former offers in their devices, with a possible return to the European countries it exited before.
