Nokia draws first blood in Daimler validity battle 15-01-2021 26-01-2017 Nokia is claiming victory in one leg of its long-running patent battle with German automaker Daimler, after the European Patent Office (EPO) affirmed the validity of a key Nokia patent. The Finnish telecommunications company is suing Daimler for patent infringement in several German courts. According to Nokia, Daimler has refused to license its standard-essential patents (SEPs) covering cellular telecommunications methods increasingly used in automobiles. Daimler responded by challenging the validity of the Nokia patents at the EPO and at the German Federal Patent Court. Earlier this week, the EPO heard the first case in the validity challenges and upheld one of the Nokia patents at issue.