NOVEMBER 1, 2023
Nokia has sued Amazon in various countries, filing lawsuits and accusing the e-commerce company of using its technologies without permission in its streaming platforms and devices. According to a statement made by Nokia’s chief licensing officer, Arvin Patel, legal actions span across the U.S., Germany, India, the U.K., and the European Unified Patent Court. The company has also lodged separate cases against HP Inc. in the U.S. concerning video-related technologies.
More specifically, Nokia has accused Amazon’s Prime and Twitch streaming services, as well as HP’s computers, of violating streaming patents “related to streaming video compression, delivery and other technology.”
Patel mentioned that both Amazon and HP have been engaged in discussions with Nokia for several years. However, according to the lawsuit, neither Amazon nor HP agreed to take licenses to the patents. Instead, they “misused Nokia’s technology to enable more efficient high-quality video streaming,” per Reuters.
When companies resist adherence to the rules that others respect, Patel noted that litigation becomes a necessary course of action. Furthermore, Nokia’s chief licensing officer emphasized that companies delivering video streaming services or devices gain considerable advantages from Nokia’s research and should provide suitable compensation in return.
Unlike Amazon and HP, both of which have so far refused to comment on the lawsuits, most companies have agreed to Nokia’s patent licensing requirements. According to Patel, “Since 2017, we have concluded or extended over 250 licenses — including amicable licenses with Apple and Samsung — and launched just 6 litigation campaigns.”
Nokia disclosed that litigation is typically a last resort, and the majority of its patent licensing agreements are settled amicably. However, regulators, including the European Commission, have been trying to reduce the frequency of technology-based disputes — like mobile telephony — that often result in lengthy court battles and could potentially impede innovation.
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