Nokia, Motorola establish cross-licensing pact for 4G tech
No shortage of lawsuits going around in the industry as we come up on the holidays -- you know, peace, happiness, the season of giving and all that -- but one place where you won't find much public animosity (for the moment, anyway) is between Schaumburg and Espoo. That's right: Motorola and Nokia have just agreed to a cross-licensing arrangement that will give both companies access to each others' 4G patent portfolios, with LTE, LTE Advanced, and WiMAX all specifically called out as being affected. It's literally impossible to develop 4G devices without navigating a nightmarish jungle of patents and royalties, so whenever an agreement like this goes down, we put on our optimism hats and hope that it'll mean faster times to market for devices and infrastructure. Follow the break for Moto's press release.
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Motorola and Nokia Announce 4G Licensing Agreement
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. and ESPOO, Finland, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia Corporation today jointly announced that the companies have entered into a 4G license agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Motorola and Nokia have extended the companies' existing intellectual property licensing agreement to include 4G cellular technologies, such as LTE, WiMAX and LTE-Advanced. The terms of the agreement are confidential.
"We are pleased to extend our existing IP licensing agreement with Nokia to include 4G technologies and are confident this agreement will help foster continued innovation and technological advancement for the telecommunications industry," said Kirk Dailey, corporate vice president of intellectual property, Motorola Mobility, Inc. "Motorola is committed to leveraging the strength of its industry-leading intellectual property portfolio for the benefit of its customers, partners, shareholders and licensees."
"We are pleased to conclude this extension of our IP licensing agreement, which is a great example of the value that Nokia realizes from our industry leading patent portfolio," said Paul Melin, vice president, intellectual property of Nokia. "This agreement also shows that the industry is making fast progress in resolving LTE licensing issues between the major patent holders. LTE has now become a key element of Nokia's licensing program, and we expect strong returns for our pioneering development."
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to mobile and wireline digital communication devices that provide compelling experiences, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $22 billion in 2009. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device - from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally. www.nokia.com
