HTC, Nokia kiss and team up after dispute

[WASHINGTON] HTC Corp and Nokia have agreed to collaborate after ending a patent-infringement dispute that could have resulted in the devices of Taiwan's largest smartphone maker being kept out of the US market.

HTC will pay royalties to Nokia to end the dispute, they said on Friday in a statement, without disclosing the financial terms of the settlement. Each company will gain access to the other's patented technology and will explore "future technology collaboration opportunities", they said. The US International Trade Commission in Washington was scheduled to announce today whether it would issue an import ban on HTC devices.

Both Nokia and HTC have lost their lead positions in the mobile phone market. Patents will be one area of focus for Nokia after the former mobile-phone market leader agreed in September to sell its handset division to Microsoft Corp. HTC is counting on an updated version of its One smartphone, its first wearable device and a renewed focus on marketing to help turn around the company after two straight annual declines in revenue.