Both Ericsson and Apple agreed to bolster their technology and business collaboration, including in technology, standards development, and interoperability
Ericsson reaches a multi-year, global patent license agreement with Apple. (Credit: Jonas Bergsten/Wikipedia.org)
Ericsson has entered into a global patent license agreement with Apple that includes a cross-license pertaining to patented cellular standard-essential technologies, thereby ending all ongoing patent-related legal disputes between the firms.
The multi-year agreement also allows certain other patent rights to both companies.
The patent license agreement settles the lawsuits filed by the two companies in various countries against each other.
It also resolves the complaints filed before the US International Trade Commission (USITC) and in the US District Court of the Eastern District of Texas.
Ericsson chief intellectual property officer Christina Petersson said: “We are pleased to settle the litigations with Apple with this agreement, which is of strategic importance to our 5G licensing program. This will allow both companies to continue to focus on bringing the best technology to the global market.”
In addition, through the agreement, both Ericsson and Apple agreed to bolster their technology and business collaboration, including in technology, standards development, and interoperability.
In February 2015, Ericsson filed complaints with the USITC asking for an exclusion order against Apple’s products for violating its patents, which are crucial to the 2G and 4G/LTE standards.
Some of the complaints by Ericsson were on other patents that are highly important to features and functionality of Apple devices. These include the design of semiconductor parts, user interface software, location services and applications, and the iOS operating system.
In August 2021, Apple was ordered to pay $300m for infringing wireless standard-essential patents owned by Optis Wireless Technology and its affiliates by a federal jury in the East Texas federal court.