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Germany bans OPPO and OnePlus in Nokia-patent suit

Updated to include Nokia’s statement.

OPPO and OnePlus which are both under BBK Electronics have been banned in Germany. This is following an upheld judgement on a lawsuit filed by Finnish Company – Nokia – on 4G and 5G patenting. Nokia had accused OPPO and OnePlus of using their technology without paying for the patents.

The brands have already halted sales of their devices in the country (9to5Google)

According to Android Police, the brands which enjoy 10% market share in Germany, have said they’re working with all the involved parties to resolve the matter. This patent dispute has been ongoing for a while now, so that resolution may not be achieved soon.

The court sided with Nokia and this could mean more countries in Europe may follow suit and ban sales of phones from the two brands.

What’s interesting is this; Nokia has also sued other BBK-owned brands – realme and vivo – in Sweden, France, Finland, the UK and Spain in the same patent claim. With the German ruling, BBK phones could end up being banned across all of Europe.

Nokia has said of the matter, “Two German Courts have ruled that OPPO is using Nokia’s patented technologies in its smartphones and is selling them illegally without a license. Nokia has also been found to have acted fairly. The easiest way for OPPO to resolve this matter is to renew its license on fair terms.”

Do note the Nokia filing the suit is the Finnish company – not HMD Global which currently makes Nokia-branded smartphones (by licensing the name).

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