Last week, Oppo explained that it would halt sales in Germany due to an ongoing patent dispute with Nokia. BBK Electronics' Vivo sub-brand could be the next phone maker to shut down its business in the country following its subsidiary's leadership.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Vivo said it was unable to reach an agreement with Nokia to renew the licenses and strongly accused the Finnish company of offering fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Vivo added that the ruling by the district court in Mannheim, Germany may require it to temporarily suspend operations in Germany. The company later said it would appeal the decision and continue talks with Nokia in hopes of resolving the issue.
The dispute began in a patent dispute after German courts found that phone makers were using Nokia assets without the proper licenses. During the negotiations with Oppo, Nokia demanded a fee of 2.50 euros for each smartphone sold by the company. It is not clear whether these conditions are the same or similar for Vivo.
Despite the threat of suspension of sales, Vivo has assured its customers that it will remain committed to the German market for the long term and that the ongoing dispute should not affect its business abroad. Vivo has not officially confirmed that its phones will be banned in Germany, but the rejection of its appeal could lead to it in the near future.
Although Vivo has failed to sell its phones in Germany, the Chinese company is still developing a number of new devices to be launched this year. Among them will be a pair of foldable smartphones, the Vivo X Fold 2 and X Flip, which will go on sale on April 20. Along with the phones, there will be the Vivo Pad 2, which the company has confirmed will debut as the next tablet.
