By Tarai 24 Tech Desk | Munich, February 17, 2026
A German court has issued an injunction against Acer and ASUS, prohibiting the companies from directly selling certain laptops and desktop PCs in Germany due to a patent dispute over video compression technology. The ruling was granted by the Munich I Regional Court.
The Core Dispute: HEVC (H.265)
The case centers on the High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, also known as H.265, a widely used technology for compressing high-resolution video, including 4K content in streaming services and video calls.
Nokia, which owns a portfolio of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) for HEVC, argued that Acer and ASUS were implementing these patents without a valid license. The court found that the companies had not acted as “willing licensees” under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) terms, leading to the injunction.
Immediate Impact
Acer and ASUS have suspended direct sales of affected laptops and desktop PCs through their official German online stores. The injunction prohibits the companies from manufacturing for the German market, importing, or directly selling infringing devices in Germany.
- Direct Sales: Halted for affected products.
- Third-Party Retailers: Retailers such as Amazon.de, MediaMarkt, and Saturn are not parties to the lawsuit and can continue selling existing inventory. However, they cannot import or restock new units directly from Acer or ASUS while the injunction remains in effect.
Why Germany?
Germany is a common venue for patent enforcement actions due to its legal framework, which allows courts to grant injunctions relatively quickly to protect patent holders. Similar cases have occurred, such as prior disputes involving Nokia and smartphone manufacturers like OPPO and OnePlus over 5G patents.
In this same HEVC litigation, TV manufacturer Hisense reached a settlement with Nokia and signed a multi-year license agreement in January 2026, avoiding an injunction.
What’s Next?
Nokia has indicated openness to licensing negotiations under FRAND terms. Outcomes in similar disputes often involve settlements, as continued market exclusion can be costly for device manufacturers.
Technical Note
H.265/HEVC decoding and encoding is supported by most modern GPUs (from NVIDIA and AMD) and integrated graphics (from Intel and Apple). Licensing obligations typically fall on the device manufacturers (OEMs) rather than solely on the chip providers.
