Apple Licenses Nokia Patents, Ending Lawsuits

nokia
Reuters and Engadget report that Nokia has entered into a patent license agreement with Apple. From the press release:

Nokia announced that it has signed a patent license agreement with Apple. The agreement will result in settlement of all patent litigation between the companies, including the withdrawal by Nokia and Apple of their respective complaints to the US International Trade Commission.

The financial structure of the agreement consists of a one-time payment payable by Apple and on-going royalties to be paid by Apple to Nokia for the term of the agreement. The specific terms of the contract are confidential.

Nokia first filed a patent suit against Apple in October 2009 and the dispute has escalated since then with the two companies filing multiple new claims against each other. This should end one of the Apple's biggest patent disputes, but many others remain active.

While FOSS Patents sees this as a clear win for Nokia, they also suggest it may help Apple a bit as Android manufacturers are likely to also be affected.

Nokia emerges victorious, but this is a sweet defeat for Apple because its competitors -- especially those building Android-based devices -- will also have to pay Nokia, and most if not all of them will likely have to pay more on a per-unit basis because they don't bring as much intellectual property to the table as Apple definitely did.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...

Top Rated Comments

Bonte Avatar
190 months ago
If MS buys Nokia Apple would not need to pay a fee, maybe something is up.

Apple always wanted to pay, the dispute was about the price of the royalties.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
twilson Avatar
190 months ago
I am glad we agree that Apple "borrowed" a lot of Nokia creations and not vice versa. It is indicative that cross-licensing agreement is not part of this deal. Apparently Nokia did not find anything they would need to patent from Apple.

Stop all the blind trolling, and open your eyes. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE A PHONE USING THE GSM STANDARD WITHOUT NEEDING TO LICENSE NOKIA'S PATENTS IN QUESTION!

That's why Nokia MUST offer "Fair, Reasonable and NON-DISCRIMNATORY" terms To these patents (something they were trying to avoid when licensing to Apple).
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
inkswamp Avatar
190 months ago
Yes, Apple's patents were so strong that they (Apple) decided to pay Nokia. Did I get it right?

Not quite but then again, you're not really trying very hard. The first step is to follow these things from the start. You haven't been following this story, have you?

Here's the basic rundown. Nokia wanted to charge Apple exorbitant fees for the use of some patents, much more than they were charging other licensees. Apple demanded that they charge a fair price and refused to pay. Nokia sues, Apple countersues... and then suddenly all lawsuits are gone and Apple is licensing Nokia's patents.

Now logically, what do you think happened behind-the-scenes? This probably isn't a win for either side. Nokia probably caved on their fees and Apple agreed to license the patents at a fair price and drop their counter-suits.

You have a better take on this? I doubt it but I'd love to hear it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoNothing Avatar
190 months ago
Ahhh... The Apple hater...

OK, so Apple therefore admitted that they were wrong. Now lets hear from LTDs of this forum how they are going to spin this. They have been claiming all along that Apple was the "innovator" here and Nokia was in the wrong.

I don't think anyone said that. Apple just wanted the same "fair and reasonable" rates others got. I don't think anybody assumed Apple was not going to pay for the use of the tech.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoNothing Avatar
190 months ago
Show us the money!!!

It appears that there has never been the case where Apple would be able to sue someone in court for use of their patent and win. Their patents usually get invalidated by courts because of prior arts or being too obvious.

I can show you one that proves you 100% wrong.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
teknishn Avatar
190 months ago
And you know this because

Try actually reading the lawsuits. Simple case of Apple needing to license gsm patents that Nokia is legally obligated to license at fair price. Apple simply didn't want to pay more than HTC, Samsung, Motorola etc etc. The issue has been resolved in a pretty obvious manner. Sometimes it takes a lot of arm waving to get the right deal done.... Such as this case. End of the day it's really business as usual.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)