Ding, ding. It is already going to be an year since the Microsoft buyout of Nokia, and Nokia might just finally become a Microsoft company. In related news, the Supreme Court of India has rejected Nokia’s petitionfor removing the stay order on its factory unless it pays around $51 million in penalties to the Indian government.
The Microsoft-Nokia deal has been passed without objections in Europe, U.S. and most of Asia.
“Nokia is disappointed by today’s decision. The company strongly believes its offer to the Indian tax department is fair for all sides, allowing its employees and assets to transfer to Microsoft while also providing the necessary financial guarantees. Nokia regrets the anxiety this extended legal process has caused its employees,” the company said in a statement.
Obviously, sine Nokia is now going to come under the ambit of Microsoft, $51 Million might just be pocket change too make sure the deal gets finalized. The tax penalty on Nokia might not be a blip on Microsoft radar.
Essentially put, starting next month, Microsoft will take over Nokia’s Lumia division. Once the deal goes through, Nokia will no longer be 200 year old success story, rather it will be just one of Microsoft’s ventures, such as Skype. Sadly, it seems history will forever be changed as far as the smartphone industry is concerned.
