Oppo and OnePlus phones and smartwatches sales stopped in Germany after a court sided with Nokia in a patent dispute (SEP).
Oppo’s German site has no phones listed, and OnePlus’ German site shows phones but no “Buy” button and only sells headphones and accessories. JUVE Patent speculates that this was a voluntary move because Nokia wouldn’t have had time to enforce a sales ban.
OnePlus’ director of communications told The Verge, “We’re working with the parties to resolve the legal matter.” While sales and marketing are paused, OnePlus will continue operations in Germany. OnePlus users in Germany can still enjoy our products and services, such as software updates and after-sales service. The Finnish telecom giant won a court case against Oppo and OnePlus in July, claiming the two Chinese phone makers weren’t paying Nokia for its 5G patents in Germany.
OnePlus and Oppo blame Nokia’s “unreasonably high” patent fees. Nokia and Oppo signed a patent agreement in 2018, but it fell apart in 2021. EP19173705 and EP07826610 are the SEPs at issue. Stay tuned for updates on Oppo’s appeal.
Oppo lost its appeal and is now halting all smartphone sales in China. Oppo Germany’s website is empty, with no phones to browse. OnePlus Find X5 Pro was an early-2022 highlight. Existing Oppo customers will continue to receive support and updates for their devices, according to a single-issue Q&A.
9to5Google notes that the OnePlus Germany website doesn’t acknowledge the ruling as directly. All phones are on listedZ, but you can’t buy one. OnePlus Germany Store only sells accessories. This dispute may set a precedent for the rest of Europe to ban Oppo and OnePlus phones from sale. Europe is one of the world’s largest smartphone markets, so this could hurt the two brands. Check back for updates.
Oppo and OnePlus’ future in Germany and Europe is unclear. The dispute wasn’t limited to Germany, so this could be the first domino. Oppo could appeal the case in the future, but it’s unlikely without a further agreement between Nokia and Oppo.