This tethering patent has the potential to allow Nokia to collect royalties from Android-based OEMs and may even allow for import bans on certain devices (without agreed-upon royalty structures). What is particularly interesting about this case is that Nokia filed for this tethering patent in 1995 and only bothered to file this patent in the United States and in Finland. Apple and Blackberry (rest in peace) have already settled their patent disputes with Nokia, but Android-based smartphone makers have not made these agreements. Nokia's legacy as a company that pioneered the mobile phone industry is still providing it with dividends today, even as the company struggles to survive in modern smartphone marketplace.
I love hearing about patents like this that were filed way before their time. Today, tethering seems like an obvious idea, but it is impressive that Nokia came up with it more than 10 years ago. I wonder what patents are being filed now that will be commonplace in 10 years?
ReplyDeleteThe thing I am surprised about in this is that Android has not come to terms with Nokia while Apple and Blacbkerry had decided not to go the court route. Clearly, google believed that they could win the battle which is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteDid Google try to patent or has it also patented this technology on its mobile devices? It would be interesting to see how the ITC handles and grants patents that have the same core concept. Nokia is finally able to move up the ladder now that it has pulled out its older patents that are being implemented in the modern mobile devices.
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