Germany Temporarily Bans Acer & ASUS PC Sales as Nokia Patent Battle Disrupts the Market

Acer and ASUS are temporarily banned from selling PCs and notebooks in Germany following a court ruling in a patent dispute with Nokia over the H.265 (HEVC) video standard.

As reported by German media outlet HardwareLUXX, a Munich Regional Court found that both manufacturers infringed standard essential patents held by Nokia and were not willing to license them under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.

As a result, the court issued injunctions preventing Acer and ASUS from offering, selling, importing, or distributing affected devices in Germany. Since HEVC support is heavily integrated into modern hardware and software, the decision impacts a large portion of current PC and notebook models.

Acer has temporarily suspended sales of notebooks and desktop PCs through its official German store, limiting offerings to monitors and accessories. ASUS product pages for many systems in Germany are also currently unavailable, which effectively halts direct sales. Both companies cite maintenance work on their German websites.

It’s important to note that the latest ruling affects the manufacturers, not retailers. Platforms such as Amazon and major electronics chains can continue selling existing inventory, but are unlikely to receive new stock until the legal situation changes.

At the center of the case are several European patents from Nokia’s HEVC portfolio, covering core video compression technologies. Nokia filed lawsuits in 2025 against Acer, ASUS, and Hisense. Hisense has since reached a global licensing agreement with Nokia, but the conflict with Acer and ASUS has escalated.

While there’s no word on his matter from ASUS and Acer, both are expected to appeal the ruling. In the meantime, negotiations over licensing terms are likely to continue, as Germany remains one of Europe’s most important PC markets.

Article feature image source: Unsplash