 "Vivo becomes third brand to exit Germany after Oppo, OnePlus; here's why")
Vivo has suspended the sale of its smartphones in Germany. The company confirmed the decision on its website with a banner notifying consumers that “Vivo products are currently not available in Germany”.
The decision was originally discovered by WinFuture, but follows a decision handed down by the Mannheim Regional Court in April, with two other Chinese phone brands – OnePlus and Oppo – having to implement a similar suspension.
As the publication notes, all three brands fall under BBK Electronics as subsidiaries, with the likes of Realme also a part of the company.
The suspensions come after Nokia filed a patent dispute in the region over broadband technology, and in particular for finding that these companies were processing its 4G and 5G signals without paying for a license to do so.
Nokia is said to be looking at other companies in Germany as well, so more brands may announce a freeze as they try to resolve issues with the Finnish telecommunications behemoth.
Vivo intends to continue doing business in Germany in the long run, but has been forced to take the current steps in the meantime.
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It is unknown whether similar conflicts will arise in other parts of the world. The Nokia lawsuit, which first surfaced in August of last year, had no impact on Oppo's business or operations in South Africa.
It has also not deterred Vivo from pursuing its local plans, having launched a pair of premium mid-range phones earlier this month and hinting at the release of foldables in South Africa this year.
As such, this appears to be more of a legal hiccup than the full-fledged sanctions that Chinese brands like Huawei face in the US.
For now, people can still purchase Vivo devices in Germany at retail outlets, with the stock already in-market available to buy, but don’t expect new offerings in the coming months while this dispute persists.