Vivo Prepares To Stop Selling Its Phones In Germany Over Nokia Patents
Oppo and OnePlus had to stop all sales in Germany last year, and now Vivo faces the same problem due to a patent dispute with Nokia.
Germany's Mannheim regional court ruled this week in the Nokia and Vivo cases. As negotiations over licensing fees failed, the court ruled that Vivo would have to stop selling smartphones in Germany if it installed Nokia's patented technology. WinFuture notes that Vivo and Nokia have an agreement until 2021, but the license will not be renewed.
In a brief statement, Vivo addressed the decision and confirmed that it was prepared to stop selling its phones in Germany "if necessary." The company plans to appeal the decision and "consider other options."
According to Vivo, Nokia has yet to offer a license that can be considered "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory".
vivo fully respects intellectual property and is committed to continuous innovation through extensive research and development. In recent years, vivo has signed cross-licensing agreements with many leading companies. We have been in talks with Nokia to extend the co-license, but have yet to reach an agreement. We strongly believe that Nokia has not fulfilled its obligation to offer licenses on "FRAND" (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms.
We read the decision of the Mannheim District Court with disappointment and are prepared to stop the sale and marketing of related products on the official German vivo channels if necessary. We will appeal the decision and explore other options. At the same time, we will continue to negotiate with Nokia to resolve the issue on FRAND terms.
There is currently no ban on Vivo phones in Germany, but Vivo will face a sales ban if the appeal fails.
Oppo recently confirmed that its German business is being "suspended" due to the same dispute with Nokia, and although Oppo and OnePlus have denied this, the company is reportedly considering an even bigger move out of Europe.
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