A German court on Thursday, November 26, referred a patent licensing dispute between Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia and German carmaker Daimler to the European Court of Justice to clarify the law as it applies to supply chains, reported Business Insider.
The Duesseldorf Regional Court announced that it would suspend proceedings in Nokia’s fight against Daimler over royalties for technology used in navigation systems, vehicle communications and self-driving cars.
The long-running row revolves around standard technologies used in 4G mobile networks that support features in so-called connected cars, and whether Nokia is licensing them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.
The dispute has made waves in Brussels, where the European Commission has stepped in with a proposal to establish whether certain patents are essential to a technology standard and reduce “friction” over their use.
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