vivo sales in Germany may be suspended, following Nokia lawsuit

The District Court of Mannheim, Germany has ruled in favor of Nokia in a patent case against vivo. The lawsuit concerns a Nokia 4G standard-essential patent (SEP) and could see vivo forced out of the German market. Nokia previously won cases against Oppo and OnePlus over the same SEPs which resulted in a ban on the sale of Oppo and OnePlus devices in Germany.

vivo issued an official statement confirming it is still negotiating a renewal of the patent licensing agreement with Nokia, but is ready to suspend sales and marketing of affected products should the court order it to do so.

The company is also ready to appeal the court decision and has reiterated its long-term commitment to the German market. For now vivo's operations outside Germany aren't affected, but if the company loses the appeal and is unable to reach an agreement with Nokia its presence in the entire EU might be at risk.

The official statement also includes comments on Nokia’s lack of offering fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms on negotiating a deal. For now you can still purchase vivo products via official channels and third-party resellers in Germany.

Source (in German)