Helsinki - Struggling Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has
settled its patent dispute with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion in return
for payments, as it tries to exploit its trove of technology patents to boost
its finances.
Terms of the agreement were confidential, but Nokia said on
Friday it included a one-time payment to be booked in the fourth quarter, as
well as ongoing fees, all to be paid by RIM.
Nokia is one of the industry's top patent holders, having
invested €45bn in mobile research and development over the past two decades.
It has been trying to make use of that legacy to ensure its
survival, amid a fall in sales as well as cash. The Finnish firm is battling to
recover lost ground in the lucrative smartphone market to the likes of Apple
and Samsung.
The agreement with RIM settles all existing patent
litigation between the two companies, Nokia said, adding similar disputes with
HTC Corp and ViewSonic still stood.
"This agreement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading
patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in
the mobile communications market," said Paul Melin, Nokia's chief
intellectual property officer.
Nokia has earned around €500m a year from patent royalties
in key areas of mobile telephony.
Some analysts have said it could earn hundreds of millions
more if it can negotiate with more companies successfully.
Analysts estimated its June 2011 settlement with Apple was
worth hundreds of millions of euros.
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