Nokia, Apple to cooperate after settling legal dispute

Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia and Apple on Tuesday said they had settled a legal dispute regarding the right of the U.S. technology giant to use patents owned by Nokia.
Maria Varsellona, who is in charge of Nokia’s patent-licensing business, said it moved their relationship with Apple from being adversaries in court to business partners.
“Nokia was to provide Apple with some network infrastructure products and services, while Apple would resume offering Nokia digital health products in its retail and online stores,’’ the joint statement said.
The terms were confidential, but Nokia said it was to receive an up-front cash payment from Apple with additional revenues during the multi-year agreement.
“We are pleased with this resolution of our dispute and we look forward to expanding our business relationship with Nokia,’’ Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said.
The two firms have been embroiled in several patent rows, the most recent erupted late 2016.
Nokia sold its loss-making handset business to Microsoft in 2014 after losing its top position in the Smartphone market to Apple and companies using Google’s Android operating system.