Acer and ASUS face an ongoing sales ban in Germany for laptops and PCs equipped with Intel Core Ultra 300 series processors. The restriction stems from a legal dispute involving Nokia and its European patent portfolio. The ban covers new products and has been in effect since late January 2024.
German retailers cannot import replacement stock for affected devices from overseas
Nokia asserts ownership of three European patents related to H.265 and HEVC video streaming technology. The specific patents in question include EP 2375749, EP 2774375, and EP 2661892. The conflict centers on disagreements regarding licensing fees for these video encoding standards.
German retailers cannot import replacement stock for the affected devices from overseas markets. The ban applies only to new inventory, meaning existing stock can still be sold. Acer and ASUS have resumed normal operations on their German websites for products not affected by the dispute.
The situation highlights the impact of intellectual property litigation on consumer hardware availability. The dispute affects major PC manufacturers and limits consumer choice in the German market. Both companies continue to operate their websites for non-affected product lines.
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