Key Takeaways
- Nokia’s Technology Standards business unit is responsible for driving wireless and multimedia research and standardization, protecting Nokia’s innovation by securing patents, and monetizing Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio through patent licensing.
- The company has a strong portfolio of over 26,000 patent families, including 7,000+ patent families declared as essential to 5G and over 5,000 inventions that enable multimedia products and services.
- Nokia is innovating in video standardization, with a team of experts advancing a comprehensive set of contributions to help shape the upcoming H.267 next generation video coding standard.
- The company is leading the way in video services licensing, with seven bilateral license agreements signed with video streaming companies and recent agreements with Snap Inc and a social messaging company.
Introduction to Nokia’s IPR Business
I’ve admired Nokia’s IPR business for a long time, and now I have had the chance to take a look under the hood. I joined Nokia in November as Chief Licensing Officer New Segments in the Technology Standards business unit. The unit is responsible for driving wireless and multimedia research and standardization, protecting Nokia’s innovation by securing patents, and monetizing Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio through patent licensing. It is a world-class operation. My role is to lead Nokia’s multimedia licensing programs and explore how Nokia can expand its licensing business into other new and emerging technology domains — leveraging the company’s strong heritage of innovation and intellectual property leadership.
Nokia’s Foundational Video Portfolio
Nokia has an extremely strong portfolio, which is one of the reasons the team here was able to successfully conclude Nokia’s smartphone renewals in 2024 and sign a series of industry-first agreements in automotive, IoT, and video streaming. We have over 26,000 patent families in our portfolio, up from around 20,000 five years ago. As well as 7,000+ patent families declared as essential to 5G, Nokia’s portfolio also includes over 5,000 inventions that enable multimedia products and services, including video compression, content delivery, and content recommendation technologies and aspects related to hardware. This extensive portfolio is a testament to Nokia’s commitment to innovation and research and development.
Innovating in Video Standardization
Nokia’s inventors have been heavily involved in the development of all market-adopted video codecs, from the H.264/Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard in the early 2000s to the H.266/Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard completed in 2020. This important work continues. Our team of experts are advancing a comprehensive set of contributions to help shape the upcoming H.267 next generation video coding standard. This includes proposals to improve prediction accuracy, filtering adaptability, and overall coding efficiency. For example, we are refining several core conventional coding tools for the Enhanced Compression Model (ECM). Plus, the team is doing exciting work in neural network–based video coding which will deliver measurable coding gains and reduced decoder runtime. Nokia’s continued innovation in video standardization is crucial for the development of new technologies and the improvement of existing ones.
Leading the Way in Video Services Licensing
Nokia was the first of its peers to sign a patent license agreement with a video streaming platform and we continue to lead the way. So far, we have signed seven bilateral license agreements with video streaming companies. The most recent video streaming agreement was signed at the end of last year. I am also delighted to say that we recently signed a license agreement with Snap Inc as well as an agreement with a social messaging company. A big thank you to everyone involved in closing these deals. Litigation also continues against Paramount and Warner Bros, where we are confident about our position and the outcome of these commercial disputes. Nokia’s success in video services licensing is a result of its strong portfolio and its commitment to protecting its intellectual property.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
Finally, I would like to thank everyone at Nokia for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to doing great things together in 2026. As I continue to get to know the team and the business, I am excited to explore new opportunities for growth and expansion. With Nokia’s strong heritage of innovation and intellectual property leadership, I am confident that we will continue to lead the way in the technology industry. The future looks bright for Nokia, and I am honored to be a part of it. As we move forward, we will continue to innovate, protect our intellectual property, and monetize our industry-leading patent portfolio through patent licensing. The opportunities are endless, and I am excited to see what the future holds for Nokia.