On Tuesday, Nokia, a Finnish telecommunications company, won an appeal in the UK, halting the lawsuit filed by Taiwanese tech companies Acer and Asus. This case is part of the 2025 global video coding technology dispute.
In 2025, Nokia filed patent infringement lawsuits against Acer, Asus, and Hisense in the United States, Brazil, Germany, and India, seeking to ban the sale of their products.
Subsequently, these three companies filed lawsuits in the UK High Court, seeking to confirm the jurisdiction of the UK court and to determine global FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) licensing terms.
Disputes surrounding Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms often lead to global legal battles in the telecommunications industry.
Following this, Acer and Asus obtained a statement from the UK High Court, requesting Nokia and themselves to first sign a temporary licensing agreement, allowing them to legally use the patents and continue selling products while paying transitional fees. The final payment terms and conditions are to be determined after a formal court hearing.
Nokia then appealed, challenging the jurisdiction of the UK court, arguing that the matter should be resolved through arbitration and refusing direct pricing by the UK court.
The UK Court of Appeal announced on Tuesday the permanent “termination” of the case. The Court of Appeal ruled that Nokia had provided patent licenses to Acer and Asus, allowing them to use Nokia’s patents under “Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory” terms, with specific terms to be determined by arbitration. This means that the lawsuits filed by these companies in London should not proceed.
A Nokia spokesperson stated that the ruling means that the trials scheduled for June and July will no longer take place. Acer and Asus have not commented on this yet.
Chinese company Hisense also sued Nokia, but they reached a settlement before the appeal hearing.