AUTONEWS

Nokia in dispute with Mercedes

This is not the first conflict between companies, even with the size of a Daimler, nor will it be the only one. Nokia also has a number of patents relating to mobile phone synchronization systems with infotainment and communication solutions installed in vehicles. Daimler is said to have infringed the Finns' patents and they have appealed to a German court to remedy the situation. What they got.
The matter will not end here and, for now, the German manufacturer has informed that he will appeal the decision. BMW and Volkswagen have had similar discussions with Nokia in the past, but all of these clashes ended in amicable out-of-court deals, with both groups paying to use the Finnish brand licenses. In the case of Daimler, Nokia appears to have made a point of proceeding directly to legal action, most likely due to previous issues between both companies.
About a year ago, Daimler filed a complaint with the European Commission regarding telecommunications patents. The Germans tried to make mobile communications standards accessible to all builders "under fair conditions and without discrimination". Nokia defended itself, accusing Mercedes' parent company of "just not wanting to acquire the licenses it needed". It must have been this previous exchange of arguments that accelerated the current dispute directly to the court.
After the victory, Nokia can now demand that Mercedes stop selling its models equipped with systems that use patents from the Finnish company. That would imply opening another case and depositing 7 billion euros, in order to be able to compensate Daimler if the judicial decision were favorable to him. Alternatively, Nokia is more likely to accept compensation.
Daimler's room for maneuver was also reduced after the judge ruled that Nokia was not obliged to supply “on reasonable terms” to Bosch and Continental, suppliers of electronic systems to Daimler and many other manufacturers.