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OnePlus phones face fresh sales halt following another patent dispute
- OnePlus phones are again unavailable in Germany following a fresh patent dispute.
- The OPPO-backed company is now entangled in a patent battle with InterDigital, which develops key mobile communication technologies.
- OnePlus says it will continue to negotiate with InterDigital to resolve the matter.
OnePlus’ European innings aren’t going so well. Months after reviving sales in Germany, the company is again having to halt them owing to an ongoing patent dispute.
Previously, OnePlus had to stop sales in Germany following a legal tussle with Nokia. The issue was resolved in January when the company’s mothership, OPPO, reached a global patent licensing deal with Nokia.
The dispute that’s got OnePlus phone sales halted again in Germany is with a firm called InterDigital. It’s an organization that holds critical patents for mobile communication technologies, including 5G.
OnePlus phones have been withdrawn from its German online store for the time being. However, other OnePlus devices, such as the OnePlus Pad 2 and OnePlus Watch 2, are still available on the website.
It’s unclear when the new patent battle will get resolved, but it’s certainly not great timing for OnePlus, which is getting ready to launch its next flagship phone — the OnePlus 13. The company hopes to find a peaceful solution, though. It issued the following statement to Allround-pc:
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.
Meanwhile, parallel proceedings are ongoing between InterDigital and OnePlus in the UK, India, China, and Spain.