Nokia and Qualcomm have been fighting over patent licensing for a while now, and UBS analyst Maynard Um thinks Nokia is getting the upper hand…
“The Finnish handset behemoth’s IPR position within the industry is “strong and getting stronger” due to significant IPR in GSM and W-CDMA. Further, Um wrote, Nokia’s position vis-à-vis Qualcomm “appears to have improved materially” from the time the current agreement with the chip maker was first signed in 1992 (and extended in 2001). Also, Nokia’s joint venture with Sanyo Corp. to produce CDMA handsets would no longer require Nokia to license IP for CDMA2000.”
Still, Qualcomm has sued Nokia in the UK, claiming the handset manufacturer infringes two UK patents.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has indicated that software will not be patentable in Europe under proposed legislation...which will become more important as software becomes more important in mobile phones.
Related stories:
—European Telcos Want Protection Against “Patent Ambush”
—Nokia Responds To Qualcomm Lawsuit
—Qualcomm Vs Nokia in Mobile TV War