Nokia phones, withdrawn from sale in Europe. HMD has infringed technology patents

After a spectacular return to the market of the Nokia brand, with its first Android smartphones, the subsequent launches did not live up to expectations. Recently, Nokia seems to be out of the market, and those who will try to buy the company’s phones may not even find them, as HMD Global has withdrawn almost everything from the sale. The Finnish company that makes these phones has been sued for using unlicensed technologies, and until the situation is resolved, the company will no longer sell the models covered by this lawsuit.

In some countries, Nokia phones have disappeared from store shelves

HMD Global has withdrawn Nokia phones from stores in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, France and Finland and will likely be withdrawn from other EU countries. This is due to complaints from VoiceAgeEVS LLC, which holds technology patents for features such as VoLTE, and the Enhanced Voice Service standard, which enables this capability on smartphones. VoiceAgeEVS has asked German courts to order the sale of the phones, and a favorable decision has now been taken.

The only phones that do not seem to be affected by these restrictions are Nokia G21 and G11, the company’s latest models, which are part of the cheapest range of devices sold under this brand.

“HMD is the defendant in several lawsuits filed by VoiceAgeEVS LLC in several jurisdictions, including Germany. We are disappointed with the outcome of the VoiceAge trial in Germany, which began in December, and we have filed a complaint. In the meantime, we’ve made sure that none of the devices offered and distributed in Germany support EVS. “were the official statements of the representatives of HDM Global.

This isn’t the first time VoiceAge has sued smartphone makers over these technologies. Apple, TCL and Lenovo went through similar processes in 2020, only in those situations, the conflict was resolved out of court. However, HMD will continue the fight in court.

source: Computerbild, via GSM Arena