Reasons Behind the Departure of Oppo, OnePlus and Realme From the German Mobile Market
In the last year, well-known Chinese smartphone manufacturers including Oppo, OnePlus, and Vivo, which are all part of the BBK group, have had to withdraw from the German market due to a patent lawsuit filed by Nokia, impacting their business.
The Finnish company has claimed that BBK Group brands have used Nokia’s 4G standard essential patent (SEP), putting the likes of Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo at risk of losing access to the German market if they lose the lawsuit. The patent concerns components that provide a WLAN connection to the phones of these brands.
As it turns out, Oppo and OnePlus have already lost their lawsuits against Nokia in the area, forcing them to stop selling their phones in the market. Vivo is said to be in talks with Nokia to renew the patent usage agreement, but that seems to have come to an end, meaning that even Vivo has had to shut down its online store where it sold phones in Germany.
On the website of the country’s Vivo, it is clearly stated that its products are not on the market, but those who already use Vivo phones are offered support for both maintenance and updates. Joining the ranks is a fourth BBK group brand, Realme, which has decided to limit its smartphone business in Germany, with company executives quoted in this report saying it would prefer to focus on other parts of Europe where it does not face similar patent litigation. . The BBK Group companies intend to negotiate the terms of the patent, but consider that Nokia’s terms are not fair or non-discriminatory.
Patent infringement is a serious issue, and with brands like Oppo and OnePlus under the scanner, it’s obvious that legal authorities are looking into the case with great scrutiny.
The rise of these Chinese brands has meant that brands like Nokia have reached a point of no return, and the fact that more Android options are on their way out of Germany means that the likes of Xiaomi and Samsung have a lot to gain from their rivals’ absence.
