OPPO pays 23 per cent of its India sales to Nokia as per court order

OPPO has deposited with the Delhi High Court 23 per cent of the amount generated from its sales in India for infringing upon Nokia's patent

New Delhi: Global smartphone brand OPPO has deposited with the Delhi High Court 23 per cent of the amount generated from its sales in India for infringing upon Nokia’s patent, reliable sources told IANS on Monday.

According to sources, the Chinese company deposited 23 per cent as to Nokia from the sale of around 77 million devices in India since 2019, before the court-set deadline of August 25. However, the exact amount deposited by OPPO could not be ascertained. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court dismissed OPPO’s plea against a Delhi HC order which directed the company to deposit 23 per cent of the amount generated from its sales in the country for infringing upon Nokia’s patent.

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A division bench of the Delhi High Court passed the order in July, after it found that the Chinese smartphone brand was using Nokia’s technology without the requisite consent. The HC had reached the 23 per cent penalty figure after taking into account OPPO’s sales in India which is around 23 per cent of its global sales.

A Nokia Technologies spokesperson had welcomed the Supreme Court decision. “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,” a Nokia spokesperson said. Courts in India, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Brazil have all given their verdicts in Nokia’s favour.

“Once again, we encourage OPPO to play by the rules, and like its competitors, agree to a license on fair and reasonable terms, rather than continue to operate without one,” said Nokia. OPPO had secured a licence from Nokia in 2018 for using some of the Finnish telecom gear company’s technology for three years. Nokia alleged that after the expiry of the pact, OPPO sold around 77 million devices in India without paying a single rupee in royalty, according to reports.