Today, Nokia and Trimble, a leading innovator of GPS technology, announced a cooperative licensing deal on Trimble’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) patents related to designated wireless products and services involving location technologies, such as GPS, assisted GPS or Galileo. The licensing agreement is exclusive to Nokia for the wireless consumer product and service domain and includes sublicensing rights. In return, Trimble receives a non-exclusive license to Nokia’s location-based patents for use in Trimble’s commercial products and services.
Today, the location-based services industry is experiencing significant growth in the area of navigation; for example car, pedestrian and maritime. Other services such as “local search” – finding relevant information based on one’s location – are also becoming increasingly popular. As more and more location-based services continue to be added to mobile devices, the mobile phone is expected to play a central role in the mass adoption of location-based services by consumers.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.