Renowned global smartphone brand OPPO has complied with a court order by depositing 23 percent of the revenue generated from its sales in India with the Delhi High Court. OPPO has deposited the money in response to allegations of patent infringement by Nokia, IANS reported.
Insiders report that the Chinese smartphone company submitted 23 percent of the sales revenue linked to approximately 77 million devices sold in India since 2019. This action was taken ahead of the court-issued deadline of August 25. While the exact monetary value of the deposited amount remains undisclosed, this step marks OPPO’s adherence to the legal proceedings.
Earlier in the month, the Supreme Court dismissed OPPO’s plea against a Delhi High Court directive. The Delhi HC had ordered OPPO to deposit 23 percent of the revenue generated from its sales in the country as a result of infringing upon Nokia’s patent. The Delhi High Court’s decision came in July after it was determined that OPPO had utilized Nokia’s technology without obtaining the necessary consent.
The penalty of 23 percent was calculated based on OPPO’s sales in India, which constitutes approximately 23 percent of the company’s global sales. The move was welcomed by Nokia Technologies, which stated, “OPPO has been unwilling to renew its license on fair and reasonable terms or resolve the matter amicably and has used our technology without making any royalty payments for two years.”
Courts in various countries, including India, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Brazil, have consistently ruled in favor of Nokia in the patent infringement case.
Nokia has urged OPPO to engage in fair practices, encouraging the company to enter into a licensing agreement on reasonable terms, similar to its competitors. Previously, OPPO had obtained a license from Nokia in 2018, granting permission to use the Finnish telecom gear company’s technology for three years.
Nokia alleges that OPPO continued to utilize their technology without making royalty payments after the license agreement expired. The reported sale of approximately 77 million devices in India without royalty payments has been a contentious point in this case.
As the legal proceedings continue, OPPO’s compliance with the court’s directive marks a significant development in the ongoing dispute over patent infringement.
