Nokia is my favorite brand of phone and I don't give up on that phone, as long as I can use Nokia, and that's why I noticed because I follow them that they have new possibilities, but in the car industry. A good decade after the business of Nokia's mobile phones suffered a fatal blow from the iPhone, the Finnish company still has lucrative assets that it has saved and an ace up its sleeve to fight market battles.
The company has maintained a catalog of thousands of patents for wireless communications that is constantly growing thanks to advanced research work. Now, an attempt to change the way of monetizing those patents has taken Nokia to court with Daimler, the manufacturer of the Mercedes car.
The verdict from a few weeks ago in Germany was on the side of Nokia.
Modern cars are so full of electronic devices that the industry has casually compared its products to smartphones on wheels. Wireless technology allows passengers to make phone calls, stream music or call emergency services in the event of an accident. Traditionally, car manufacturers have demanded that the manufacturers of their components, be it Continental or Robert Bosch, resolve all copyright issues and compensate them for any patent claims that may come later.
In an attempt to simplify the process, wireless technology companies have joined forces in patent fund Avanci LLC, which is negotiating with the auto industries by offering a fixed price per vehicle, or $ 15 for a car for a 4G standard license.
The trouble is that Daimler does not agree and has no desire to apply for it. Instead, the company wants to maintain the practice of licensing suppliers, ideally with a small fraction of the cost of the roofing business.
Nokia is trying to impose its approach through a major court battle, hearings in Munich and Dusseldorf. The Finns have achieved something worth their weight in gold here: the company has made a decision by which Daimler could stop the sale of cars in Germany, which would be a suicidal situation for the inventor of cars at home.
They say they want fair access to patents on standardized technology, calling the practice key to supporting development and services. Nokia, on the other hand, says it has made "fair and reasonable offers" to Daimler and its competitors, who have instead decided to use the company's inventions "without approval and compensation".
However, judges indicated earlier this month that they want the EU's highest court to consider the dispute. Judges in Luxembourg should say whether Nokia can choose who to give permission to in the supply chain - which is an important legal step for Daimler.
But recent verdicts in California and London, as well as Nokia's victory, have benefited patent holders for standard basic technology, said Jorge Contreras, a law professor at the University of Utah who specializes in patent law. Ultimately, this could give them an advantage when trying to negotiate licenses. In the end, it's all about money
Beautiful phone. In my opinion much better than these "smart" ones. It's a shame that I have to use one of them for work. For my private needs one Nokia would suffice.