Germany Blocks Direct ASUS and Acer PC Sales Over Nokia Video-Codec Patents
A Munich Regional Court ruled that ASUS and Acer cannot directly sell PCs in Germany due to Nokia’s patent claims on HEVC/H.265 video encoding, ordering removal of their German online listings and allowing sales only via other OEMs or existing stock. The injunction focuses on the OEMs’ sales channels rather than retailers and hinges on licensing compliance under FRAND rules; the duration of the ban is not yet determined and may be revisited in follow-up court action.