Nokia's brand goes to startup with $500M plan

By Peter Clarke, EETimes, May. 18, 2016 – 

HMD has signed a license agreement with Nokia Technologies, the licensing unit of Nokia Corp., giving HMD sole use of the Nokia brand on mobile phones and tablets worldwide for a decade as well as licenses to patents essential to cellular communications standards. The company has conditionally agreed to acquire from Microsoft Corp. the rights to use the Nokia trademark on feature phones until 2024, and design rights relating to Microsoft's feature phone nusiness. This transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2016.

HMD is owned by Smart Connect LP, a private equity fund managed by Jean-Francois Baril, a former Nokia executive, as well as by HMD management. The company said it would get funds from investors and from the profits of the acquired feature phone business.

 Back