Nokia and InterDigital settle patent case in UK

It seems that little tiff between Finnish handset manufacturer Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and InterDigital is wrapping up – at least in the UK. While the battle between the two companies rages on in the US, with InterDigital seeking a US International Trade Commission investigation of Nokia’s handsets on grounds of UMTS technology patent violations, Nokia has settled with InterDigital on the British battlefield. In a confusing turn of events where the left hand apparently makes nice while the right hand delivers a legal smack-down, InterDigital and Nokia are at once legally amicable and confrontational. 

At the forefront of the legal back-and-forths are 3G (third-generation) mobile telephony patents that InterDigital claims were essential in the deployment and application of the UMTS cellular standard. Nokia previously sought (in July 2005) to have a London High Court declare InterDigital’s intellectual property as non-essential to UMTS. The move prompted InterDigital to file suit against Nokia (in December 2006) over the 3G UMTS standard.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, so we’re not sure exactly how Nokia and InterDigital decided to make-up in the UK. But, with InterDigital still pushing the US ITC to step in and uphold two InterDigital patents related to 3G technologies, it’s clear that the two companies aren’t going to be on friendly terms for some time to come.

[Via: Reuters]