Oppo emerges victorious in patent battle against Nokia in Chinese court

After a 5G patent dispute lasting over two years, Oppo and Nokia have finally received a ruling from the Chongqing First Intermediate People’s Court in China. The issue centered around how much royalties Oppo, a Chinese phone manufacturer, should pay Nokia, a Finnish network company. The disagreement resulted in Oppo being blocked from selling its devices in Europe.

The court’s decision, recently made public, sets the global FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) licensing fees for Oppo. The Chinese manufacturer has announced it agrees with the order and is willing to pay the sum, which ranges from $0.707 to $1.151 per unit, depending on different markets.

In a press release, Oppo stated that this ruling provides the first-ever confirmation of the range of aggregated royalty burden of 5G standard essential patents for the mobile phone industry. They believe it will serve as a guideline for further discussions in the industry and related fields, such as IoT or smart cars.

However, Nokia has announced that it will appeal the ruling, stating that it is limited to Chinese jurisdiction only and represents only one view. The company remains confident in its position in the dispute and hopes for a resolution soon. They also noted that courts outside of China have confirmed Oppo is in breach of its commitments as a user of Nokia’s technology in open standards.

Despite Oppo’s agreement with the court in China, the dispute is far from over, as Nokia intends to continue fighting for what it believes is fair compensation for its patented technology. The global tech industry will be watching closely as this legal battle unfolds, as the outcome could set a precedent for future patent disputes in the rapidly evolving world of 5G technology.