Nokia Says German Court Rules in its Favor in Patent Dispute with Amazon

FILE PHOTO: A Nokia logo is seen at company's headquarters in Espoo, Finland, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
FILE PHOTO: A Nokia logo is seen at company's headquarters in Espoo, Finland, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
TT

Nokia Says German Court Rules in its Favor in Patent Dispute with Amazon

FILE PHOTO: A Nokia logo is seen at company's headquarters in Espoo, Finland, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
FILE PHOTO: A Nokia logo is seen at company's headquarters in Espoo, Finland, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

A German court has ruled that Amazon is using Nokia's patented video technologies without a licence, the Finnish network equipment maker and telecommunications patent holder said on Friday.
In a statement, Nokia's Chief Licensing Officer Arvin Patel said the Munich Regional Court ruled Amazon was using "Nokia's patented video-related technologies in its end-user streaming devices and is selling them illegally without a licence".
Amazon said it disagreed with the court's decision and expected the situation to be resolved soon, without being specific.
"This ruling will not affect any existing customers and a wide selection of Fire TV devices will continue to be available on Amazon," Amazon said in an emailed statement to Reuters, adding it was disappointed by Nokia's actions, Reuters reported.
Amazon said it had worked with a number of companies to license video patents.
"Nokia is demanding more than all those companies combined and has rejected our offer, which was fair and in line with market rates," Amazon said.
In July, Amazon sued Nokia in a Delaware federal court, accusing the Finnish group of infringing a dozen Amazon patents related to cloud-computing technology.
Nokia initiated the litigation against Amazon over the use of Nokia's patented multimedia inventions in 2023 in Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Unified Patent Court, it said in a blog post at the time.
"We hope that Amazon accepts its obligations and agrees a licence on fair terms," it said on Friday.



Google Tests Verified Check Marks in Search Results

A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
TT

Google Tests Verified Check Marks in Search Results

A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
A logo of Google is seen on the wall during the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia's first Google data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 October 2024. (EPA)

Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.

Fraudulent websites impersonating official businesses or services could creep up in online search results, leading users to view false information about the business, deceiving users and potentially harming the brand.

"We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we are currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google," the spokesperson said.

Google already uses automated systems to identify pages with "scammy" or fraudulent content and prevent them from showing up in the search results.

The Verge reported the development earlier on Friday, adding that it spotted blue verified checkmarks next to official site links for companies including Microsoft, Meta and Apple on search results.

Only some users were able to see the feature, the Verge said, indicating Google has not rolled out the test widely yet.