Oppo reaches licensing deal with Nokia after halting sales in parts of Europe

Ben Schoon | Jan 24 2024 - 9:04 am PT

Over the past couple of years, a patent dispute between Oppo and Nokia has led to smartphones from Oppo and OnePlus leaving Europe. That may soon change, though, as a licensing deal has been reached.

In 2022, both Oppo and OnePlus were forced to cease sales in Germany, with other departures later on. There were rumors in early 2023 that the two brands would depart Europe entirely, as well as evidence that Oppo was moving away from France too.

But now, things are finally looking up.

Oppo and Nokia has today announced a new global licensing deal. The deal seems to cover the issues that Nokia challenged with Oppo in court in Europe, which is what led to Oppo being forced to halt sales in Germany.

There’s no word on when Oppo will fully return to the affected markets, but this is certainly great news for the company. Notably, Reuters points out that under the new deal, Oppo will make “catch-up payments to cover the periods of non-payment.” Nokia also directly said that the deal “resolves all pending patent litigation between the parties, in all jurisdictions.”

Oppo’s Feng Ying says in a press release:

We are pleased to have reached this global patent cross-license agreement with Nokia, which includes cross-licensing for 5G standard-essential patents. This agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property and lays the foundation for future collaboration between OPPO and Nokia. OPPO continues to advocate for reasonable royalty fees and a long-term approach to intellectual property that supports the resolution of disputes through amicable negotiations and mutual respect for the value of all intellectual property.