Many Chinese brands have somehow escaped the global smartphone patent wars, but Oppo and OnePlus are feeling the pain in Germany due to a patent lawsuit filed by Nokia. As reported by the website Juve Patent, Nokia received two favorable patent rulings last week, and OnePlus and its parent company Oppo were ordered to cease and desist their patent infringements. For now, the injunction against patent infringement means that sales in Germany will cease.
The court cases are still ongoing and appeals are still possible, but Oppo has taken the proactive step of stopping sales in Germany. Oppo’s German website has been stripped of all phone information and now only contains the message (through translation) that “product information is currently not available on our website.” The website also mentions that Oppo products will continue to work and support channels will continue. OnePlus’ website still lists phone information, but the store now displays an error page when trying to view phone listings.
The company in question is Nokia Corporation, the mobile infrastructure company, and not HMD, which licenses the “Nokia” brand for smartphones. Nokia and Oppo previously had a patent licensing agreement, but it recently expired. Similar to the cable disputes, the two companies negotiated an extension, but disagreements over price led to the agreement falling through. Oppo told Juve Patent its side of this familiar story: “The day after the 4G contract between Oppo and Nokia expired, Nokia immediately went to court. They had previously demanded an unreasonably high fee for the contract renewal.
A OnePlus spokesperson told The Verge, “While sales and marketing of the products in question are on hold, OnePlus remains committed to the German market and will continue its operations.”
News Summary:
- After driving OPPO out of the German smartphone market, Nokia sues the company in additional markets
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