Patent dispute cripples Lenovo and Motorola in Germany

Another day, another patent dispute – this time it hits Lenovo and Motorola. What is unusual is the range of products affected, which are now not allowed to be sold.

Technology group Lenovo has suffered a major setback in the German market. Due to a patent dispute with Interdigital, the Munich I Regional Court imposed a ban on the sale of Lenovo products with WWAN modules.

It sounds like a niche topic, but it’s actually a critical component for mobile 4G and 5G connectivity. This means that not only Motorola smartphones, but also any Lenovo notebooks and tablets with mobile phone connectivity cannot be sold in the country for the time being.

At the heart of the dispute is the licensing agreement and the question of whether Lenovo infringed Interdigital’s patent rights. Although Interdigital has confirmed its position and hopes for a deal, Lenovo is opposed to it. The Chinese manufacturer accused InterDigital of breaching its obligations under fair licensing terms. But Lenovo is fighting back: They have filed an appeal and are working to mitigate the consequences of the sales freeze.

Not the first time patent disputes have taken major corporations to court, the BBK Group has had a lot to chew on in this country. But sales bans have rarely affected such a wide range of products from one manufacturer. If you need a related device from Lenovo or Motorola right now, you’ll still be able to find it at resellers like Amazon, just not in the official online store anymore.

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