Ericsson, Apple End Patent Dispute and Agree to Collaborate on 5G

Ericsson and Apple have ended a year-long patent dispute, agreeing on a global patent license agreement between the two companies. Both companies have signed a seven-year patent license deal that includes a cross license that covers patents owned by both companies, including the GSM, UMTS and LTE standards used in mobile technology. 

Ericsson estimates that it will get 13 to 14 billion Swedish Krona worth of intellectual property revenue this year.

With the agreement, both parties will end investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Courts as well as lawsuits in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

In addition, the companies have agreed to collaborate in multiple technology areas, including the development of the next generation 5G cellular standards, the optimization of existing wireless networks for the benefit of operators and users worldwide, and video traffic optimization.

Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson
We are pleased with this new agreement with Apple, which clears the way for both companies to continue to focus on bringing new technology to the global market, and opens up for more joint business opportunities in the future.