Adam Birney / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Motorola and Lenovo devices have been banned in Germany following a patent dispute.
- The companies must cease selling all smartphones and laptops WWAN modules enabling wireless internet connectvity.
- Only third-party retailers are selling affected Motorola and Lenovo devices right now, possibly till stocks last.
A German district court has ordered a sweeping sales ban on Lenovo and Motorola devices in the country. Motorola, a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Lenovo, is now prohibited from selling all of its phones that have a WWAN or Wireless Wide Area Network module that powers mobile internet access via cellular networks. That means all Moto phones, including the latest Edge 50 lineup, will not be available to purchase in Germany.
Motorola’s German website has also removed any trace of smartphones and is currently selling only a couple of accessories. Meanwhile, Lenovo’s German website states that the mobile configuration of some of its laptops will only be available until stock lasts.
The Lenovo and Motorola sales ban in the country comes after Lenovo was found guilty of infringing on patents developed by US technology firm InterDigital. In early May, InterDigital was awarded an injunction against Lenovo in Germany, and on May 8, a Munich court provisionally enforced the sales ban on the latter. Lenovo reportedly intends to appeal the court’s decision, asserting that InterDigital’s terms are unjust despite the ruling.
Germany previously banned OPPO and OnePlus device sales in the country following a patent dispute with Nokia. The companies later resumed operations in the country after signing a global patent licensing agreement with Nokia.
