Nokia and RIM have come to a patent licensing agreement that settles all existing litigation between the two companies.

The agreement will see RIM pay Nokia a one-time payment as well as ongoing payments, although the specific terms remain confidential.

Actions involving the companies in the US, UK and Canada related to a recent arbitration tribunal decision will also be withdrawn as part of the deal.

Nokia chief intellectual property officer Paul Malin said that the agreement maintains the Finnish company’s “ability to protect our unique product differentiation”.

“This agreement demonstrates Nokia’s industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market,” he added.

In November, Nokia won a patent dispute with RIM concerning the BlackBerry maker’s use of wireless local area network (WLAN) technology.

An arbitrator ruled that RIM was in breach of contract and was not entitled to manufacture or sell WLAN products without agreeing royalties with Nokia first.

Nokia said it has invested around EUR45 billion in research and development during the past 20 years and built what it claims is the strongest IP portfolio in the wireless industry, with 10,000 patent families.