Things are not looking good for Chinese smartphone makers in Europe, as another popular brand is banned from selling its phones and other products in Germany. Last year, OPPO and OnePlus were barred by the court from selling phones in Germany thanks to a patent dispute against them. Now, it is the turn of another Chinese brand, Vivo, to pack its bags and leave the country for the foreseeable future.
According to the latest report, Samsung's competitor Vivo has stopped selling its smartphones and other products in Germany. Visiting the official website of Vivo confirms the same, as there are no products listed on it. Vivo has not shared any official information about the closure of its store in Germany. Moreover, they also have not clarified whether this move is temporary or permanent.
Vivo was accused by Nokia of infringing WLAN patents on its smartphones
Furthermore, as per WinFuture, the website has some text written in German, which translates to, Unfortunately, Vivo products are not available in Germany at the moment. Accordingly, no product information is available on our German website. If you use a Vivo product, you can continue to rely on our customer service. You will also receive future software updates.
WinFuture reports that this exit of Vivo from the German market is because of the patent dispute with Nokia (the Finnish networking equipment supplier, and not HMD Global which owns the Nokia smartphone brand). Nokia accused Vivo of infringing WLAN patents on its smartphones, and a German court ruled in favor of Nokia, which resulted in this scenario.
Besides, OPPO and Vivo are considering exiting several European markets, including the UK. However, OPPO isn't leaving Germany or any other country, but the business is put to a halt. As of April 2023, OPPO is negotiating with Nokia to settle the dispute. However, its German website still remains empty.
