Laptop giants Acer and ASUS have landed themselves in a tough spot in Germany. Tech companies are facing a ban on selling laptops and desktop computers in the country. This came after a patent ruling won by Nokia at a court in Munich.
What Is The Issue
The companies are facing issues regarding a video technology called HEVC, which is also denoted as H.265. This is a common standard that helps devices play and compress high-quality video. Nokia owns important patents for this technology, called Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). SEPs are patents that many companies must use if they want to make devices that support common features like video playback.
In January, the Munich I Regional Court looked at the case and decided that Acer and ASUS were not acting as “willing licensees” under FRAND, which stands for “Fair, Reasonable, And Non-Discriminatory” terms. This means that companies should be able to get a license on good terms if they want to use someone’s patented technology.
Nokia claim that Acer and ASUS were not negotiating or agreeing to fair licensing terms; the court granted Nokia an injunction. That means Acer and ASUS are now banned from selling their laptops and desktop PCs in Germany for now. The ban covers selling, importing, marketing, and even holding those computers for commercial reasons.
Nokia’s Stand on the issue
Nokia’s own words in the situation portray that the company did not want a big fight. Philippe Lanet, who heads Nokia’s consumer electronics patent licensing program, said “Our preference is always to reach amicable agreements — and the vast majority of our over 250 patent licensing agreements have been concluded amicably.” He added that Nokia has made deals with others before, like Samsung, and that “litigation is only ever a last resort.” He also expressed hope that Acer, ASUS, and others like Hisense would agree to fair terms soon.
Hisense was part of the same fight at first, but that company agreed to a licence with Nokia in January 2026. Because of that, Hisense avoided the ban that Acer and ASUS now face.
Currently, the companies still sell other products in Germany, such as monitors and accessories. The ban only affects machines that use patented video technology.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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