OnePlus pauses phone sales in Germany over patent dispute

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OnePlus has once again ceased smartphone sales in Germany due to an ongoing patent issue, months after they were resumed. Previously, OnePlus’ sales in Germany were forced to halt because of a legal dispute with Nokia.

When OPPO, the parent company of the business, and Nokia came to an international patent licensing agreement in January, the problem was fixed.

However, they are now facing a new headache and this time, it’s with a different company. A fresh patent issue has forced OnePlus and OPPO to face yet another sales freeze in Germany.

OnePlus halts phone sales in Germany (again) 

The wireless tech R&D company InterDigital claims that OnePlus has been exploiting its 5G technology without authorization and has detected what it considers to be a patent violation in OnePlus smartphones. If this seems familiar, it is because it is similar to the recent Nokia issue.

Thus, Germany has once again restricted OnePlus smartphones. However, OnePlus can still continue to sell its other products, such as tablets, smartwatches, and earphones. The halt comes rightas the OnePlus 13 release is right around the corner.

In a statement, OnePlus told the German tech publication Allround-PC (via 9to5Google) that it intends to carry on with negotiations in the hopes of shortly starting smartphone sales again in Germany. For the time being, OnePlus phones are no longer available at its German online store.

OnePlus places high value on intellectual property rights and fair access to standard essential patents, which is essential for driving innovation in the industry. We will continue to negotiate with InterDigital and wish to resolve this matter in an amicable way. Meanwhile, our commitment in Europe remains unchanged and we will continue to provide excellent products and services to our users.

It is still unclear how long it would take both parties to resolve the patent issue. It took almost two years for Nokia and OPPO to come to an agreement, during this period, the brands’ smartphones remained unavailable for purchase in Germany and other parts of Europe.

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