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Oppo and OnePlus have suspended smartphone sales in Germany. Both brands have lost a legal battle against Nokia. The Finnish equipment manufacturer accused the two subsidiaries of BBK Electronics of having illegally used its 4G/5G technologies without paying licenses. We take stock of the situation.
Oppo and OnePlus, two brands owned by the Chinese group bbk electronics, have suspended their sales of smartphones and connected watches in Germany. The German official store of both brands is now almost completely empty.
On the Oppo site, there is no no more products for sale. The situation is similar in the OnePlus store. There are no more featured smartphones. Also, the smart watch section is empty. On the other hand, you can always buy wireless headphones, like the Nord Buds, and accessories. At the moment, smartphones and watches from the two brands are still available at German retailers.
Also read: Dive into the heart of Oppo’s photographic vision, with Simon Liu, its eccentric director
Oppo and OnePlus suspend smartphone sales in Germany
Follow the withdrawal of Oppo and OnePlus from the German market a court decision, our colleagues at WinFuture report. In mid-July, the Finnish equipment manufacturer Nokia won a legal battle against the two manufacturers. In fact, the group accused Oppo and OnePlus of illegally using their 4G/5G technologies. The two brands have been in dispute with Nokia for several months.
According to Nokia, the two brands do not have did not pay the mandatory fees be able to exploit its network technologies. Therefore, Oppo and OnePlus smartphones were illegally sold on the German market, without license for the use of 4G/5G patents. Justice ruled in favor of Nokia twice. De facto, Oppo and OnePlus have been forced to withdraw their smartphones from sale in Germany.
” The Mannheim Regional Court ruled for the second time, this time on the basis of a cellular standard essential patent, that Oppo uses Nokia’s proprietary technologies in its smartphones and illegally sells them without a license. “says Nokia in a press release broadcast by the NokiaPowerUser site.
For the record, Oppo had reached an agreement with Nokia in 2018. The Chinese brand had agreed to pay the taxes related to the use of patents. the tax would be €1.50 per device. Unfortunately, this agreement expired last year. The Finnish group failed to renegotiate a new agreement with the brands. In response, Nokia launched legal proceedings in several countries in Europe and Asia.
“The court also found that Nokia acted fairly. Despite lengthy negotiations, Oppo refused to agree to a license on fair terms and rejected proposals to arbitrate the disagreement.”stresses the network equipment provider.
Other brands owned by BBK, such as alive and real, are also in the sights of Nokia. The firm filed similar complaints against both brands. At the same time, Nokia has signed multi-year license agreements with many smartphone brands, including Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple and Lenovo.
No ban in France
In theory, the issue of unpaid patents affects all OnePlus and Oppo smartphones sold worldwide. Specifically, it would sufficea court with jurisdiction in another country relies on German justice for smartphones to be banned elsewhere.
The decision of the Mannheim court could serve as an example for other courts. Also, Nokia has filed similar complaints in several other regions in 2021. Last summer, the Finnish company regretted that Oppo rejected several ” fair and reasonable offers.
For now, however, the ban remains limited to Germany. Contacted by us, the French subsidiary of Oppo wants to be reassuring.
“This situation only concerns Germany. Other markets are not affected. The precautionary measure is limited to a temporary suspension of sales and marketing of the affected products through channels belonging to OPPO, in Germany.reassures Oppo France.
Oppo also points to Nokia’s position. The Chinese brand believes that the telecommunications specialist has shown too quick to take legal action Against him.
” As the owner of numerous 5G patents, OPPO values the role of intellectual property in innovation. We are used to establishing cross-licensing agreements with many leading companies and are committed to promoting a healthy ecosystem of intellectual property. The day after OPPO and Nokia’s 4G contract expired, Nokia immediately took legal action after demanding unreasonably high renewal fees. »regrets the Chinese brand.
As expected, Oppo is committed to doing everything possible to go back to germany in the shortest possible time. Meanwhile, the brand’s terminals will continue to work without the slightest problem. Oppo says it can still implement android updates on smartphones in circulation on German territory.
” Our long-term commitment to the German market remains the same and we are proactively working with affected parties to resolve the current issue. In addition to the temporary suspension of sales and marketing of the affected products through OPPO-owned channels, OPPO will continue to operate in Germany. During this time, users can continue to use OPPO products, access after-sales services, receive future OS updates, and more. »Oppo details.
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