Acer and ASUS Germany Support Shutdown? Websites Go Offline After Nokia Patent Dispute

Berlin, February 21, 2026 – In a major development affecting thousands of PC users in Germany, both Acer and ASUS have effectively shut down access to their official German support portals, leaving customers unable to download drivers, BIOS updates, or access product support.

The sudden unavailability of acer.de and asus.de from within Germany stems from a court injunction won by Nokia in a long-running patent dispute over the HEVC (H.265) video codec used in many laptops and desktops.

What Happened?

• German users now face geo-IP blocks when trying to visit the companies’ official websites.
• Driver downloads, BIOS updates, manuals, and support tickets are inaccessible through the normal German domains.
• The block follows a Munich Regional Court ruling that prohibits Acer and ASUS from selling certain PCs and laptops in Germany due to alleged patent infringement.

Company Responses

• ASUS stated that “all after-sales services in Germany remain fully operational” and existing customers will continue to receive support. However, the main German website remains blocked.
• Acer has directed German customers to use its Swiss support site (acer.com/ch-de/support) as a temporary workaround.

Tech communities and German media outlets like ComputerBase and Tom’s Hardware have reported widespread frustration among users who own Acer or ASUS laptops and motherboards purchased in Germany.

This is the latest escalation in the Nokia vs Acer/ASUS patent battle, which already resulted in a temporary ban on direct sales of affected PCs in Germany.

The situation has sparked concern among German consumers about long-term support for products already purchased. Both companies say they are pursuing legal options to resolve the dispute quickly.

This development highlights the growing impact of patent disputes on consumer electronics support in Europe.