There are a lot of parts present in a smartphone and a single company can’t develop every single one from scratch—especially since other inventors and companies might have developed some of those technologies and patented them already. In such cases, all companies need to do is pay the appropriate licensing fees.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time, these companies might try to pull a fast one and not pay for the tech they’re using, which can get them in a lot of trouble. OnePlus got into trouble with Nokia regarding that, and now, another patent issue relating to 5G has caused its phones to be banned across Germany.
OnePlus (And Oppo) Were In A Big Legal Battle With Nokia Back In 2021, Resulting In A German Ban
Back in 2021, OnePlus and Oppo—both under the same parent company—were sued by Nokia for infringing on its patents related to “5G standard-essential patents and other vital communication technologies”. The biggest consequence of this legal battle was that OnePlus and Oppo’s smartphones and smartwatches were banned from sale across Germany in 2022.
In January of this year, the companies were finally able to come to an agreement, with Oppo and OnePlus paying royalties on each device sold as well as paying back arrears based on the time they weren’t paying. This finally allowed them to start selling devices again.
Now, OnePlus Is Accused Of Infringing Patents From InterDigital, Leading To Another Ban In Germany
Unfortunately, not too long after being freed from the shackles of a German ban, the company finds itself in pretty much the exact same predicament. This time around, a company called InterDigital is suing OnePlus. Yes, it is still a patent dispute, and yes, it is somehow still related to 5G and associated mobile technologies. Oh, and yes, it has also resulted in yet another ban in Germany.
This time around, the smartwatches are safe, but if you find your way to OnePlus’ German store, you’ll find that all the smartphones have been removed from sale. It took two years for the previous ban to be lifted and the company will certainly not want to find itself in such an unfortunate position a second time.
Lenovo And Motorola Were Also Banned From Selling Smartphones In Germany Earlier This Year
Motorola, now owned by Lenovo since 2014, also had to face a similar fate back in May this year. In their case, the patents that they infringed were related to the hardware used for wireless wide area networks (WWAN) which is basically a fancy way to say cellular networks. What this meant was that any Lenovo or Motorola devices that could take SIM cards or connect to LTE networks were infringing on patents.
As a result, many of Lenovo and Motorola’s devices are currently not available for sale in Germany. Quite interestingly is how InterDigital, the same company frustrating OnePlus at the moment, is the aggrieved party. Hopefully Lenovo, and Motorola, will be able to sort out their differences with the company to get their devices back on the market.
