Nokia and Qualcomm barely missed going to court over a patent dispute that's been hanging over their heads since their previous licensing deal ended in April 2007.

Specific terms of the new 15-year deal were not disclosed, but the agreement calls for Nokia to continue paying royalties for the Qualcomm technology it uses for its handsets. According to the New York Times, the dispute originated because Nokia wanted to pay a lower royalty rate for the technology "because it controlled important technology with its own patents." The tech it licenses from Qualcomm "improves phone performance and battery life, and reduces product size," the Times reports.

The two reached the new agreement on Wednesday, the original start date for the trial, which had been postponed until Thursday.