Munich I Regional court Orders Sales Ban on acer and asus in Patent Dispute
A major legal development has emerged from Germany after the Munich I Regional Court ruled in favor of nokia in a patent infringement case.
The court has ordered acer and asus to temporarily halt direct sales of their laptops and desktop PCs in Germany.
The ruling was issued on january 22, forcing both companies to remove the affected products from their official German websites.
The dispute centers around standard-essential patents (SEPs) related to H.265 (HEVC) video coding technology.
H.265, also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), is widely used for video compression, streaming, decoding, and real-time video processing.
Nokia holds several crucial patents covering video codec technologies, including H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and H.266 (VVC) standards.
According to the court’s findings, acer and asus were deemed unwilling to license Nokia’s patents under FRAND terms (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory conditions).
FRAND terms are typically required when companies use standard-essential patents to ensure fair access and compensation.
As a result of the companies’ alleged refusal to agree to licensing terms, nokia successfully obtained a court order blocking sales.
Nokia stated that it is seeking fair compensation for the use of its patented technology and emphasized that it remains open to negotiations.
The company expressed hope that acer, asus, and other firms would eventually enter licensing agreements similar to those accepted by other technology manufacturers.
Reports indicate that Hisense avoided a similar ban by securing a licensing agreement with Nokia starting in January 2026.
The decision highlights the increasing importance of intellectual property rights in the global tech industry.
For acer and asus, the ruling could impact their German market presence and sales revenue if a settlement is not reached quickly.
The case underscores how disputes over video compression standards can have significant commercial consequences in Europe’s competitive electronics market.
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