Daimler to pay Nokia patent fees, ending German legal spat

Daimler has agreed to pay Nokia for using its patents, ending a row that highlighted a battle between tech and car companies over royalties for key technologies.

Tech firms want automakers to pay royalties for technologies used in navigation systems, vehicle communications and self-driving cars, but the latter say their suppliers should pay instead, which could reduce the fees for patent holders.

The agreement announced jointly on Tuesday marks the latest win for Nokia which in April struck a deal with China’s Lenovo under which the world’s biggest PC maker would make a net balancing payment to the Finnish telecoms equipment maker and resolve all pending litigation.