Last year, the courts prohibited OPPO and OnePlus sell phones in Germany because of a patent dispute. Now it’s up to another Chinese brand, Alivepack your bags and leave the country in the near future.
Vivo has stopped selling its smartphones and other products in Germany. Visiting the official Vivo website confirms the same, as there are no products listed on it.
Vivo has not shared any official information about the closure of its store in Germany, nor has it clarified whether this movement is temporary or permanent.
The website has a text written in German, which translates like this:
Unfortunately, Vivo products are not available in Germany at the moment. Consequently, no product information is available on our German website. If you use a Vivo product, you can continue to rely on our customer service. You will also receive future software updates.
This exit of Vivo from the German market is probably due to the patent dispute with Nokia (the Finnish provider of network equipment, not HMD Global, which owns the Nokia smartphone brand). Nokia accused Vivo of infringing the WLAN patents of its smartphones, and a German court ruled in favor of Nokia, leading to this scenario.
Additionally, OPPO and Vivo are considering exiting several European markets, including the UK. However, OPPO does not leave Germany or any other country, rather the business comes to a standstill. Since April 2023, OPPO is negotiating with Nokia to resolve the dispute.
