Oppo Phones Clear for Germany Return With Nokia Legal Settlement

(Bloomberg) — Oppo has struck a cross-licensing deal with Nokia Oyj, ending a years-long dispute and allowing the Chinese smartphone major to freely sell devices in key European markets including Germany.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The two companies reached an agreement to license 5G and other wireless technology patents, ending a series of lawsuits across the globe, they said in a joint statement on Wednesday. That means Guangdong-based Oppo can return to selling its full portfolio of handsets in Germany, which in 2022 fined the Chinese firm for violating Nokia’s intellectual property.

The pact covers standards-essential patents in 5G and other cellular communication technologies and will contribute to Espoo-based Nokia’s IP licensing revenue. The Finnish company warned at the end of last year that it won’t meet its sales outlook because licensing deals it had anticipated closing in 2023 had slipped into the new year.

“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,” Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies, said in the statement.

Nokia remains one of Finland’s leading tech companies, even after the demise of its once world-leading smartphone business. It’s a key supplier of wireless tech and equipment for mobile network operators and competes with China’s Huawei Technologies Co. for contracts to outfit 5G mobile towers around the world.

Oppo shipped more than 100 million smartphones last year, making it the fourth-largest maker in the world at a time of lukewarm smartphone demand, according to mobile industry tracker IDC.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.