Nokia Patent Injunction Forces Acer and Asus German Website Shutdown, Crippling Customer Support Access

Acer and Asus have completely disabled access to their German websites following a Munich Regional Court injunction favoring Nokia in a patent royalty dispute over HEVC (H.265) video codec technology. This unprecedented blockade prevents German customers from accessing critical support resources, including driver downloads, BIOS updates, and product documentation. Attempts to circumvent the restriction by accessing U.S. or other international versions of the sites via German IP addresses trigger immediate redirection to outage notifications. Even VPN solutions set to German endpoints fail, leaving only non-German VPN access as a functional workaround.

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is a foundational video compression standard used extensively in modern computing devices for efficient 4K/8K video playback and streaming. Nokia holds essential patents covering HEVC implementation and sought royalties from both manufacturers. The injunction specifically prohibits Acer and Asus from "offering, placing on the market, using, or importing or possessing such devices in Germany," interpreted broadly to include digital access via websites.

Germany represents Europe's largest consumer computing market, accounting for over 20% of regional PC and laptop sales. The complete removal of support portals creates substantial friction for device maintenance. Unlike prior patent disputes involving Oppo, Vivo, or Lenovo where support sites remained accessible, this injunction's implementation is uniquely comprehensive. It impacts not only e-commerce functions but also technical support resources, contradicting Asus's public claim that "all after-sales services in Germany remain fully operational." Email support channels appear equally inaccessible, compounding service degradation.

The blockade's technical implementation suggests either excessively broad court language or manufacturer risk aversion. Targeted restrictions disabling only German sales functionality while preserving support access would align with typical patent dispute resolutions. Instead, the wholesale geo-blocking creates significant hurdles for users requiring driver updates for security patches, hardware optimization, or bug fixes. This disruption compounds existing European supply chain pressures, including inflated RAM and SSD prices amid AI-driven memory demand that has shifted 30% of global DRAM output toward data centers.

Financially, unresolved patent disputes introduce cost uncertainties. HEVC royalty obligations, estimated at $0.20-$1.30 per device, directly impact manufacturing expenses. Prolonged website unavailability risks eroding brand loyalty in a competitive market where Dell, HP, and Lenovo maintain uninterrupted German support access. Asus confirms it is "evaluating and pursuing further legal action," but resolution timelines remain uncertain. For Germany's PC ecosystem, this represents both an immediate support crisis and a cautionary case study in intellectual property enforcement's collateral damage.

Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer covering PC hardware and semiconductor industry dynamics.