Vivo may be forced to suspend its sales operations in Germany owing to an ongoing patent dispute with Nokia. The news comes shortly after Oppo announced that it is putting its business ‘on hold’ in Germany owing to patent issues with Nokia. Also Read - Nokia C32 with dual cameras and IP52 rating launched in India
According to a report by GSMArena, the District Court of Mannheim in Germany has ruled in favor of Nokia in a patent case against Chinese smartphone maker Vivo. The lawsuit revolves around a patent regarding a component of the 4G technology that Vivo uses in its smartphones. Also Read - Nokia C32 to launch on May 23 in India: All you need to know
Vivo responding to the court directive in a statement said that it is committed to continuous innovation through extensive research and development and that it is planning to suspend the sale and marketing of its products “if necessary”. Also Read - New Twitter CEO, WhatsApp scams, AI everywhere and more: This week in tech
“We have noted the decision of the Mannheim Regional Court with disappointment and have made preparations to suspend the sale and marketing of the products concerned via vivo Germany’s official channels if necessary,” the company noted in its official statement.
In its official statement, Vivo said that over the years, it ‘has concluded mutual licensing agreements with numerous leading companies’. “We have negotiated with Nokia on the renewal of mutual licences, but have not yet been able to reach an agreement,” the company said.
Furthermore, Vivo said that while it is trying to negotiate a deal to renew its license with Nokia, it ‘strongly believes that Nokia has not yet fulfilled its obligation to offer a license on the “FRAND” terms. For the unversed, FRAND terms in Germany focus on Fairness, being Reasonable and being Non-Discriminatory.
Vivo says that it is preparing to appeal against the decision made by Germany’s Mannheim Regional Court and will. In the meantime, it is planning to “continue negotiations with Nokia to bring the matter to a conclusion in accordance with the “FRAND” conditions”.
The company says the ongoing patent dispute with Nokia in Germany will have no impact on other markets around the globe. “There is no impact on our business outside Germany,” Nokia added.
