vivo stop selling in Germany
The Chinese electronics manufacturer vivo has suspended the sale of its products in Germany. Vivo follows the steps of OnePlus, OPPO and realme, which had previously withdrawn from Germany. The withdrawal comes as a direct consequence of the Mannheim District Court's judgments of April 6, 2023, which ruled in favor of Nokia. The two companies are involved in a patent dispute.
In a statement, vivo stated that they fully respect intellectual property and are committed to continuous innovation through extensive research and development. In recent years, vivo has entered into numerous licensing agreements with leading companies. However, so far they have not been able to reach an agreement with Nokia regarding the renewal of the mutual licenses.
The German vivo product pages are no longer accessible.
vivo expressed disappointment with the rulings, adding that they believe Nokia has so far failed to meet its obligation to offer a license on FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms.
Following Nokia's enforcement of these decisions, vivo suspended the sale and marketing of the relevant products in Germany. The company has appealed the decisions and will review other options.
Meanwhile, vivo remains in close contact with Nokia to finalize license negotiations in accordance with FRAND terms.
Despite the current challenges, vivo emphasizes its long-term commitment to the German market. The company promises to maintain customer service and ensure future software updates for their devices. It also emphasizes that this incident will have no impact on their business outside of Germany.
This case once again underscores the complexity of the global intellectual property market and the challenges that companies face. It remains to be seen how the dispute between vivo and Nokia will develop.
Source: vivo (Link)
