Car manufacturer Daimler will pay Nokia for used patents. This puts an end to the legal battle between the two companies.

Nokia has sued Daimler, the group that includes Mercedes-Benz, in the German courts several times in recent years. One time they ruled in favour of Nokia, the other time for Daimler. The ground of the case revolves around patents relating to the various technologies that are now being used in cars, such as navigation, communication, and self-driving vehicles.

Nokia believes that Daimler should pay for it; Daimler says that it is up to the suppliers of these systems to buy the licenses. In the latter case, the amount paid may be the complainant for the patent holder.

Due to the agreement between the two, Daimler will therefore pay a part to Nokia. The companies do not disclose how much money is involved in the agreement.

Licenses on patents are among the largest sources of income of the current Nokia, at a rate of 1.4 billion euros per year. Nokia previously made deals with Lenovo and Samsung for the use of its patents after lawsuits. Other automakers, such as Volvo, have been paying the Finnish tech company licenses for some time.

However, that hunger is also criticized. A series of companies, including auto parts maker Continental, issued Nokia in the US and asked the EU to conduct an antitrust investigation. They also ask the European Commission for a framework for licenses like this to avoid problems in the future.