Last Updated: June 21, 2023, 13:48 IST
Oppo and other BBK group brands are embroiled in this patent case
The four brands that come under the BBK group face a major patent lawsuit from one of the popular companies in the region.
Popular smartphone brands from China such as Oppo, OnePlus and even Vivo have been forced to exit the German smartphone market in the past 12 months. These brands come under the BBK group and it seems their business has been affected by a patent case lawsuit filed by Nokia.
The Finnish company has alleged that the BBK group brands have used a Nokia 4G standard essential patent (SEP) which puts the likes of Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo among others at the risk of losing their access to the German market if they lose the lawsuit. The patent is for a components that offers WLAN connectivity on phones from these brands.
As it turns out, Oppo and OnePlus have already lost their cases against Nokia in the region, which has forced them to stop selling their phones in the market. Vivo was reportedly in talks with Nokia to renew the deal to use the patent but that seems to have reached its conclusion, which means even Vivo has had to shut down its online store where it sold the phones in Germany.
The Vivo website in the country clearly states that its products are not available in the market but those who already use Vivo phones will be given the support, for both service and updates. Joining the ranks is the fourth BBK group brand, Realme, which has decided to limit its smartphone business in Germany, and the company executives quoted in this report say they would rather focus on other parts of Europe where it doesn’t face similar patent lawsuits. The BBK group companies are looking to negotiate the terms for the patent but feel that Nokia’s conditions are not fair or non-discriminatory.
Patent infringements are a serious issue and when brands like Oppo and OnePlus are under the scanner, it is apparent that the law authorities will look into the case with a lot of scrutiny.
The growth of these Chinese brands has resulted in brands like Nokia reaching a point of no return and the fact that more Android options are heading out of Germany means the likes of Xiaomi and Samsung have much to gain from the absence of their rivals.
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