The manufacturing plants and handset division was entirely sold off to Microsoft. Also, as part of the deal Nokia cannot make ANY hardware bearing their name until the year 2016.
The manufacturing plants and handset division was entirely sold off to Microsoft. Also, as part of the deal Nokia cannot make ANY hardware bearing their name until the year 2016.
what after 2016 ? can they create their phone bussiness again with their own name ? and what if they buy another company to produce phones with the bought companies name/trademark ?
what after 2016 ? can they create their phone bussiness again with their own name ? and what if they buy another company to produce phones with the bought companies name/trademark ?
I'm not sure of the exact wording of their agreement but I'd imagine that any lawyer involved would have told them that putting their name on a product includes putting ANY name they already have and own, make up or buy from another company, as a matter of technicality. I'm just guessing that, though, but it's typical of lawyers to think that way in writing. Still, I'm sure it might be totally legit for them to invest in something to PREPARE for a 2016 release of a product they can manufacture (for example Jolla, if Nokia was smart enough to plan ahead).
I'm not sure of the exact wording of their agreement but I'd imagine that any lawyer involved would have told them that putting their name on a product includes putting ANY name they already have and own, make up or buy from another company, as a matter of technicality. I'm just guessing that, though, but it's typical of lawyers to think that way in writing. Still, I'm sure it might be totally legit for them to invest in something to PREPARE for a 2016 release of a product they can manufacture (for example Jolla, if Nokia was smart enough to plan ahead).
I am willing to bet their name means exactly NOKIA and not what you say, but I don't know the wording either.
I just think that if it was as you say, it would simply say "not sell devices" to cover everything.
Well, the deal for the name is for the name, that doesn't mean they don't also have a deal for device production.
But it's not like Elops phone division cares about the rest of the world. It's all about North America there. Nokia must shun America more than ever now. So Microsoft may not have cared enough to buy Nokias promise of eternal global noncompetition. They already got a lot for not so much.
And who knows what strategy the board and new CEO will come up with in a year. One of the jobs Elop was expected to do was trim down the organization, I wager that especially ment the parts that resisted change. It has been thoroughly trimmed. It's a much cleaner point to start a new effort from.
And they have some fresh billions they have to invest somewhere. There are a LOT of clever people not associated with Nokia any more that have ties to Nokia, some even had economical support in starting new endeavours. Nokia might be quite positive to reestablishing new business connections now, when the MS cash is fresh and not yet ear marked.
If the deal doesn't prohibit it directly, they could i.e. buy up companies like Jolla or something akin to (but not quite) Vertu and let them keep doing their thing or let them to their thing. 2016 isn't that far off either, so the time could be utilized in getting some new innovation R&D conclaves started. Unless the contract specifically prohibits it.
Their network foot is solid, but they're up against China on that market. Nokia has a tradition for making new legs to stand on. They were boot makers, that just shows how far they can jump. And it's a lot easier for the finns to form new business partnerships now that Microsoft left them and took the house and the family name and left.
Then again, I have not been seeing any many IBM PCs around lately, so there's much reason to believe we've really seen the last of Nokia in consumer electronics.
