Multimedia patent licensing: in conversation with Nokia’s Clay Gaetje

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Multimedia patent licensing: in conversation with Nokia’s Clay Gaetje

Sponsored by

Nokia logo RGB-Black.jpg
Man_with_VR_Headset_Amplifier_16x9.jpg

Managing IP sat down with Clay Gaetje of Nokia’s New Segments Licensing team to discuss the wider technological benefits to be found in a robust licensing programme

MIP: What constitutes a sustainable licensing programme?

Clay: There are of course many factors which make up a sustainable licensing programme. But it involves more than just anticipating the evolution of technology and global markets.

You also need to keep tabs on the progression of the licensing environment in the countries where your licensees operate. Your patent portfolio has to be proactively developed in anticipation of that progression.

MIP: What are the key global licensing jurisdictions?

Clay: If you’re talking about streaming video, then the US is by far the largest market. But the current legal landscape in the US makes licensing more challenging than ever before. It becomes even more complicated as cutting-edge technology moves from consumer-level hardware to software and back-end servers.

Fortunately, although the US is the largest market, the largest revenue growth in streaming video is coming internationally. This is particularly true for the major players in that vertical, and we see that reflected in other multimedia verticals as well.

As a multinational company with our headquarters in Finland, Nokia has maintained and developed its patent protection in many countries, covering both the high-revenue and high-growth areas. Lots of these high-growth jurisdictions such as Canada, Germany and Brazil have robust judicial systems with experienced judges.

I’m pleased to say we are well-positioned for success in our multimedia licensing programme despite the challenges presented in the US market.

MIP: You mentioned other multimedia verticals. Can you expand on that?

Clay: Of course. Video content makes up about 80% of all internet traffic. That content obviously powers direct-to-consumer video on demand platforms, as well as free and paid online linear television. But video streaming now bleeds into an almost endless list of other services, such as social media, sports, gaming, gambling, medicine and education. 

MIP: How important is video to Nokia’s patent licensing programme?

Clay: In the multimedia space, video is very important. But, in addition to Nokia’s many contributions to the development and improvement of video streaming itself, we also tackled and solved many technical problems around the delivery of that video. Edge caching; storage management; content delivery; the creation, capture and encoding of video; user interface; recommendations—these are just a few of the areas where Nokia advanced the technology. And we have patents reflecting those innovations in the US, in Europe, and around the world.

MIP: What about when things go wrong? How does Nokia approach patent disputes?

Clay: We look for the most efficient way to reach agreement with implementers, which in the vast majority of cases is amicable negotiations. However, when a party doesn’t negotiate in good faith, we sometimes have to resort to litigation as a necessary last resort. Even when litigation is necessary, we still look for efficient ways to resolve these disputes, and encourage infringers to engage or re-engage in good faith negotiations.

MIP: How does Nokia’s approach to litigation encourage that?

Clay: More certainty in the costs and outcomes of a litigation forum generally helps not only litigation, but licensing discussions as well.

We’ve had good results in Europe and Brazil, and this has helped us drive consistency across our other licensing programmes. The foresight to maintain and develop an international patent portfolio affords us access to these more consistent forums.

Despite reticence from some corners, we believe the Unified Patent Court has the promise to be a new cost-effective forum for both parties to resolve disputes. This gives us more confidence in being able to strike amicable agreements with our partners, so actually resorting to litigation becomes increasingly rare.

Find out how patents are powering consumer electronics and video services at https://www.nokia.com/licensing/patents/consumer-electronics-and-video-services/

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Tuesday's coverage includes BD tips for aspiring partners, and a foray into the world of SEPs
Exclusive data reveals law firms are failing to go above and beyond for their corporate clients, with in-house counsel saying advisers should consider more transparent billing processes
Arty Rajendra and Gary Moss discuss why ‘thorough and intense’ preparation, plus the odd glass of wine, led to a record FRAND victory for their client
Monday’s coverage includes news of a potentially 'game-changing' trademark development in China and how practitioners are using AI
Managing IP gives a taster of the numbers behind this year’s IP STARS trademark rankings, and looks back at our 2025 award winners
Updates from IP offices, the shifting requirements of in-house counsel, and news of London 2026 were among major talking points on Sunday
Etienne Sanz de Acedo discusses the association’s three-year plan, what he is looking forward to in San Diego, and why London came calling for 2026
Professionals from three organisations reveal what led them to sponsor Brand Action and why doing so can build camaraderie
The results of a UK government consultation on the exhaustion of IP rights and an annual review published by the EPO’s Boards of Appeal were also among the top talking points this week
The decision disregards Perlmutter’s work at the US Copyright Office and comes at a time when strong leadership and expertise are crucial
Gift this article