Recently, in its video patent dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Paramount, Nokia has proactively expressed willingness to grant temporary licenses to both streaming companies and requested the UK High Court to determine the relevant rates.

On February 26, 2026, a hearing presided over by Judge Mead of the UK High Court took place. The core focus of this hearing was to evaluate whether Nokia's proposed interim licensing scheme complies with the FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) principles, as well as the response stance of Paramount and WBD. Previously, Paramount and WBD had each filed FRAND rate determination lawsuits in the UK; Nokia's proposal now reverses their strategy.

Nokia proposed allowing the court to set a global royalty rate for its entire video patent portfolio. This portfolio includes essential patents for the H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC standards, along with certain non-standard essential patents (SEPs). Nokia explicitly stated it would accept the court's rate determination for the entire disputed patent portfolio—including non-SEPs—until any appeal outcome. Both companies would be required to pay interim royalties pending the court's final ruling.

Nokia's approach to proposing interim licensing mirrors Huawei's strategy in securing a successful interim license declaration against TP-Link in the UK High Court. When patent holders proactively accept court-determined rates, licensees who previously actively sought UK judicial relief may hesitate. For them, interim licensing shifts from leverage against Nokia to a potential court ruling that could determine their global royalty rates.

The case's origins date back to 2025. Nokia filed patent infringement lawsuits against Paramount and WBD in multiple jurisdictions, including the US and Brazil, in August and November 2025 respectively. Subsequently, the parties engaged in multiple rounds of legal battles over issues such as counterclaim injunctions in the UK and jurisdiction over FRAND litigation.

Judge Mead has yet to issue a final ruling on whether Nokia's proposal constitutes a FRAND license. Should the court ultimately uphold Nokia's proposal, this case could become another significant precedent in the UK—following Huawei v. TP-Link—where global video patent royalty disputes are resolved through provisional licensing.