Asus and Acer Resume German PC Sales After 2024 Nokia Patent Ban
Updated
Updated · Zamin · Jun 23
Asus and Acer Resume German PC Sales After 2024 Nokia Patent Ban
3 articles · Updated · Zamin · Jun 23
Summary
Germany sales of Asus and Acer laptops and PCs have restarted after months of restrictions tied to Nokia’s HEVC patent claims.
A January 2024 Munich ruling had barred sale, import and distribution of new devices in Germany unless vendors held a license for H.265 technology.
Acer returned by offering two versions of products—one with HEVC enabled and one without the codec, which users can add later via third-party software.
Asus instead struck an arbitration agreement with Nokia, leading the parties to suspend or end German court proceedings and allowing unrestricted sales to resume.
The dispute had forced Asus to shut its German online store and underscored how patent licensing can disrupt supply in Europe’s largest tech distribution hub.