Nokia Technologies Oy v. HP, Inc.

This patent infringement lawsuit, Nokia Technologies Oy v. HP, Inc., was filed by Nokia Technologies Oy, a subsidiary of the Finnish telecommunications and technology multinational, Nokia Corporation. Nokia Technologies Oy specifically manages and monetizes Nokia's extensive patent portfolio through licensing and enforcement, functioning as a key intellectual property licensor within the broader company structure. The defendant, HP, Inc., is an American multinational information technology company known for developing personal computers, printers, and related supplies. Nokia accuses HP's range of computers of infringing its proprietary streaming video compression and delivery technologies. The specific patent at issue is U.S. Patent No. 6,950,469, titled "Method for sub-pixel value interpolation." This patent broadly describes a method for interpolating sub-pixel values in video coding, which aims to improve the accuracy of motion modeling and reduce prediction error information, thereby enhancing the efficiency and quality of video compression in various video coding standards.

The case is currently active in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, case number 1:23-cv-01236, assigned to Judge Gregory B. Williams. The District of Delaware is a prominent venue for patent litigation, often chosen for its specialized judicial experience and efficient case management. This particular lawsuit is part of a broader, multi-jurisdictional patent enforcement campaign by Nokia Technologies Oy, which has initiated similar actions against other major tech and media companies.

This litigation is notable as it underscores Nokia's strategic shift from a device manufacturer to a technology licensor, with its patent portfolio, particularly those related to video coding, serving as a significant revenue source. The lawsuit against HP, along with other cases against companies like Amazon and Paramount, highlights Nokia's aggressive approach to securing licensing agreements for its intellectual property in the booming video streaming and digital media markets. A critical detail is that U.S. Patent No. 6,950,469 expired on August 6, 2023, prior to the lawsuit's filing date of October 31, 2023, meaning Nokia is pursuing claims solely for past damages rather than seeking an injunction.

This report outlines the key legal developments and outcome for the patent infringement litigation between Nokia Technologies Oy and HP, Inc., with a focus on case number 1:23-cv-01236 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

Important Note on Case Numbers: While the prompt specifies case number 1:23-cv-01236, public records and detailed reporting on the litigation between Nokia Technologies Oy and HP, Inc. primarily refer to case number 1:23-cv-01237. These two cases, along with 1:23-cv-01232 (Nokia Corporation et al v. Amazon.com, Inc.), are frequently mentioned as associated or related patent infringement lawsuits concerning video coding technologies filed by Nokia in the District of Delaware. The substantive legal developments, particularly regarding HP's counterclaims and Nokia's motion to dismiss, have been reported under case 1:23-cv-01237. The final disposition, a settlement, resolved all patent litigation between the parties.

Here is a chronological summary of developments:

1. Filing & Initial Pleadings (for Nokia Technologies Oy v. HP, Inc., C.A. No. 1:23-cv-01237):

• Complaint Filed: Nokia Technologies Oy filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HP, Inc. on October 31, 2023, alleging infringement of certain claims of ten patents related to H.264 and H.265 video-decoding standards.
• Answer & Counterclaims: In response, HP, Inc. filed counterclaims alleging that Nokia failed to identify the asserted patents to the relevant standard development organization (SDO) and breached its contractual commitment to license its essential patent claims on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND or FRAND) terms. HP also asserted unenforceability and antitrust counterclaims under Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

2. Pre-trial Motions of Substance:

• Nokia's Motion to Dismiss Counterclaims: Nokia filed a partial motion to dismiss HP's request for declaratory relief and HP's contract, unenforceability, and antitrust counterclaims (D.I. 18).
• Motion to Dismiss Ruling: On April 29, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, through Judge Gregory B. Williams, issued a Memorandum Opinion partially granting and partially denying Nokia's motion. The court denied Nokia's motion to dismiss HP's contract and unenforceability counterclaims, finding that HP adequately pled that Nokia breached its FRAND obligations. However, the court granted Nokia's motion to dismiss HP's antitrust counterclaims under Section 2 of the Sherman Act, with leave for HP to amend.

3. Claim Construction (Markman) Outcomes:

• No publicly reported Markman hearing or order was identified before the case's resolution.

4. Discovery Milestones:

• No specific strategic discovery milestones were publicly reported before the case's resolution.

5. Trial Events, Verdict, and Post-Trial Motions:

• The case did not proceed to trial, verdict, or post-trial motions due to settlement.

6. Settlement, Dismissal, Judgment, or Appeal – Final Disposition:

• Settlement and License Agreement: On October 29, 2024, Nokia announced that it had signed a multi-year patent license agreement with HP, Inc. The agreement covers the use of Nokia's video technologies in HP's devices, with HP making royalty payments to Nokia. This agreement explicitly resolves all patent litigation between the parties in all jurisdictions. The specific terms of the agreement remain confidential.

7. Parallel PTAB IPR/PGR Proceedings on Asserted Patents:

• Patent US6950469B2 Status: U.S. Patent No. 6,950,469 is owned by Nokia Technologies Oy and had an adjusted expiration date of August 6, 2023, and is now listed as "Expired - Lifetime."
• Prior IPR: An Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding concerning US6950469B2 was noted as filed on December 8, 2020.
• Recent IPR and Settlement: More recently, PTAB case IPR2024-01139, related to US6950469B2, was filed and subsequently marked as "Settlement," indicating a resolution within the PTAB context likely tied to the broader license agreement between Nokia and HP. The details of the petitioner and specific outcome of IPR2024-01139 are not publicly available in the search results beyond the "Settlement" status.

Nokia Technologies Oy is represented by the following counsel in Nokia Technologies Oy v. HP, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-01236 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware:

• Jonathan E. Singer

  • Role: Likely Lead Counsel.
  • Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C., San Diego, California office.
  • Note on experience: Mr. Singer is a seasoned patent litigator with over three decades of experience, particularly excelling in the life sciences sector, and has served as lead counsel in plaintiff-side cases for patentees. His notable cases include representing Mayo Clinic as district court and appellate counsel in Prometheus Laboratories v. Mayo Collaborative Services, a landmark case concerning patent eligibility, and trial counsel for Gilead Sciences, Inc. in Gilead Sciences, Inc. v. Merck & Co. He is recognized as a "Life Sciences MVP" and an "IP Star."

• Stamatios Stamoulis

  • Role: Local Counsel.
  • Firm: Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC, Wilmington, Delaware.
  • Note on experience: Mr. Stamoulis has over 20 years of experience in intellectual property and complex commercial law matters, including litigating patent infringement cases in the District of Delaware. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

No specific in-house counsel for Nokia Technologies Oy has been explicitly identified as appearing of record in this case through the conducted web searches. Additionally, while searches for "Daniel Sharp" or "Daniel Sharpe" were performed, no individual with that name was clearly identified as counsel of record for Nokia in this specific patent infringement case.

As of May 26, 2026, comprehensive counsel information specifically for defendant HP, Inc. in Nokia Technologies Oy v. HP, Inc., case number 1:23-cv-01236 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, is not readily available through public web searches. While several news articles and legal databases mention the filing of this lawsuit by Nokia against HP, they generally do not list the defense counsel representing HP in this particular case.

A November 2023 article explicitly stated that "the attorney information for Amazon and HP is not available at this moment" for this and a related case. Subsequent searches have not yielded specific "Notice of Appearance" filings for HP's attorneys in case 1:23-cv-01236 from publicly accessible sources.

Information regarding counsel of record, including their names, roles, and firms, would typically be found in "Notice of Appearance" filings on the official court docket (PACER). Without direct access to the PACER docket for this specific case, it is not possible to definitively identify the counsel of record for HP, Inc. at this time. Some results discuss related cases (e.g., 1:23-cv-01237) or International Trade Commission (ITC) proceedings involving HP, Inc., but do not name counsel for the District of Delaware case 1:23-cv-01236.