A German appeals court lifted the enforcement of an injunction won by Nokia in a patent disagreement with Lenovo. It blocked the world’s largest PC maker from selling its products in the largest European economy. The decision is a blow to Nokia, as it has been trying to make a comeback in other tech industry sectors.
Nokia enforced an order issued by a lower court in Munich last month, which stated that Lenovo had violated the terms of its patented H.264 video-compression technology used in computers and smartphones.
Edging out the competition in this manner would give Nokia space to grow into the German economy.
The battle continues
Lenovo said that the appeals court granted its request to stop enforcement of the Munich ruling. The basis for this ruling is the high probability that the decision will most likely not be upheld if there is an appeal later.
Nokia said that the appeals court’s decision did not indicate that the decision would favour Lenovo, based on the merits of the case. Nokia has said that it is confident that their case will hold on appeal.
The final judgment is coming
Nokia launched the legal battle against Lenovo last year, with allegations that the latter had infringed on over 20 patents. The Finnish company has ongoing cases against Lenovo in multiple countries, including the United States, India, Brazil, and about six in Germany.
Lawsuits like this one are typical when it comes to German courts and rules. The court battles remain in force until a final judgment is offered based on the merits of a case.
At the end of it all, the entire case revolves around whether the license fees for H.264 demanded by Nokia are fair and reasonable.
13 hours ago
