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Acer, Asus and Hisense have secured a favourable interim ruling from the UK High Court in their ongoing global patent dispute with Nokia over video-coding technologies, marking the latest development in a series of high-profile FRAND licensing battles in the telecom and consumer electronics industry.
In its decision on Thursday, the London court declared that a “willing licensor” in Nokia’s position would agree to grant an interim patent licence while the court determines final fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. The ruling allows the three device makers to continue selling products using the disputed technology during the legal process.
Justice James Mellor ordered that Acer, Asus and Hisense pay Nokia $0.365 per device sold under the interim licence. The figure sits between the opposing proposals, exceeding the $0.03 per unit rate put forward by Acer and Asus, but well below the $0.69 per device sought by Nokia.
The judgment reflects a growing trend in English courts to permit temporary patent licences pending full trials in complex FRAND cases. Similar interim arrangements have been granted in recent years, including disputes involving Amazon and Nokia, as well as Lenovo and Ericsson, both of which later reached settlements. In another recent case, Samsung initially secured an interim licence in its litigation with ZTE, although that decision was later overturned on appeal.
FRAND licensing disputes have increasingly triggered cross-border litigation, particularly in areas such as video streaming and telecom standards. UK courts gained prominence in such cases following a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling that confirmed their authority to set global FRAND licensing terms — a power also exercised by courts in China.
In his ruling, Justice Mellor noted that Nokia had indicated a strong intention to appeal, including a potential challenge before the UK Supreme Court aimed at revisiting that precedent.
The dispute extends beyond the UK. Nokia has filed separate lawsuits in the United States alleging that Acer and Asus computers, along with Hisense televisions, infringe its video-coding patents. Related complaints have also been lodged in Europe, while Nokia has already resolved a similar streaming-video patent dispute with Amazon.
None of the companies involved immediately responded to requests for comment following the High Court decision.
In its decision on Thursday, the London court declared that a “willing licensor” in Nokia’s position would agree to grant an interim patent licence while the court determines final fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. The ruling allows the three device makers to continue selling products using the disputed technology during the legal process.
Justice James Mellor ordered that Acer, Asus and Hisense pay Nokia $0.365 per device sold under the interim licence. The figure sits between the opposing proposals, exceeding the $0.03 per unit rate put forward by Acer and Asus, but well below the $0.69 per device sought by Nokia.
The judgment reflects a growing trend in English courts to permit temporary patent licences pending full trials in complex FRAND cases. Similar interim arrangements have been granted in recent years, including disputes involving Amazon and Nokia, as well as Lenovo and Ericsson, both of which later reached settlements. In another recent case, Samsung initially secured an interim licence in its litigation with ZTE, although that decision was later overturned on appeal.
FRAND licensing disputes have increasingly triggered cross-border litigation, particularly in areas such as video streaming and telecom standards. UK courts gained prominence in such cases following a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling that confirmed their authority to set global FRAND licensing terms — a power also exercised by courts in China.
In his ruling, Justice Mellor noted that Nokia had indicated a strong intention to appeal, including a potential challenge before the UK Supreme Court aimed at revisiting that precedent.
The dispute extends beyond the UK. Nokia has filed separate lawsuits in the United States alleging that Acer and Asus computers, along with Hisense televisions, infringe its video-coding patents. Related complaints have also been lodged in Europe, while Nokia has already resolved a similar streaming-video patent dispute with Amazon.
None of the companies involved immediately responded to requests for comment following the High Court decision.
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