In a patent dispute with vivo, Nokia has prevailed in the German District Court of Mannheim. A Nokia 4G standard-essential patent (SEP) is the subject of the legal dispute, which could result in vivo being barred from the German market. Previous legal battles between Nokia and OPPO and OnePlus over the same SEPs resulted in a ban on the sale of OPPO and OnePlus products in Germany.
In an official statement, vivo confirmed that it is currently in negotiations with Nokia to renew their patent licensing agreement. However, should the court order it, vivo is prepared to halt the sales and marketing of affected products.
vivo fully respects intellectual property and is committed to continuous innovation through extensive research and development. In recent years, vivo has entered into mutual licensing agreements with numerous leading companies. We have negotiated with Nokia regarding the renewal of mutual licenses, but so far have been unable to reach an agreement. We firmly believe that Nokia has not fulfilled its obligation to offer a license on “FRAND” terms (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory).
It is worth noting that there will be no impact on vivo’s business outside of Germany.
