HMD Global, manufacturer of the well-known Nokia smartphones since 2016, is currently in a patent dispute. The company has now stopped selling its devices in its own online shop.
Who is currently in the Nokia online store looking around will find an almost yawning emptiness. There are only two models listed in the smartphone department – the Nokia G21 and the Nokia G11. Older smartphones do not appear at all. The reason for this is a patent dispute between HMD Global and the company VoiceAgeEVS LLC.
What happened?
As the colleagues from “heise online” report, the patent dispute is about the rights to the EVS technology (Enhanced Voice Services). This is an audio codec that significantly increases voice quality, for example by covering a higher frequency range than HD voice, minimizing noise and making voices sound more natural. However, EVS only works if two smartphone users call each other via VoLTE, i.e. via the LTE network. The rights to the technology are held by the company VoiceAgeEVS LLC, which has offices in both Germany and the USA, together with the investment group Fortress.
VoiceAgeEVS LLC has sued several smartphone manufacturers over the past few years for infringing on the patents on the technology. In addition to HMD Global, Apple, TCL and Lenovo were also there. Apple has now reached an out-of-court settlement, while HMD Global has decided to go to court. However, the manufacturer VoiceAgeEVS LLC was defeated by the Mannheim Court of Justice last summer. This led to enforcement proceedings in Germany in December 2021.
HMD Global halts smartphone sales on its website
Upon request from TECHBOOK, HMD Global confirms that it is a defendant in multiple lawsuits brought by VoiceAgeEVS LLC in various jurisdictions, including Germany. The manufacturer has already lodged a complaint against the enforcement proceedings issued three months ago. At the same time, to be on the safe side, it was decided not to sell the affected smartphones for the time being.
“We are disappointed with the decision,” writes HMD Global. However, it was ensured that none of the Nokia smartphones offered and sold in Germany supported EVS. “We will continue to sell Nokia phones in Germany. HMD remains confident about the outcome of the litigation and will continue to provide devices, accessories and services to consumers true to our slogan ‘Love it, Trust it, Keep it’.”
At the same time, the manufacturer emphasizes that the smartphones have only been removed from their own website and not from stores. And in fact, models like the Nokia X20, the G50 or the Nokia 3.4 are still available from Amazon, Media Markt or Saturn, for example.
Stop selling Nokia smartphones in other countries too
Not only in Germany, but also in countries like France and Switzerland, HMD Global has decided to temporarily stop selling Nokia smartphones on its website. However, the devices are still listed in Austria and the USA.
It is unclear what consequences the stop selling Nokia smartphones in its own shop will have for the company. It is also unclear how long the legal dispute will drag on. However, it is doubtful whether the first defeat in court means the end for Nokia in Germany. After all, in the end, an agreement is usually reached in such proceedings.