Oppo

Oppo won its Nokia patent case in France, but distribution has ceased in the country

Ben Schoon | Jul 25 2023 - 8:10 am PT

Oppo’s activity in Europe has been a roller coaster over the past couple of years, but the story seems to be coming to a weird end in France, as Oppo has ceased distribution operations despite having won its patent case against Nokia.

As reported by Frandroid, Oppo’s distribution partner in France, Yang Technology, has confirmed that it will cease activity in the country. This means that, unless Oppo itself steps in to bring a new form of distribution, there is no operation for the phone brand in the country.

This comes after Oppo’s future in Europe has been looking bleak, as an ongoing patent dispute with Nokia threatened to prevent the company from operating in France and other regions. In May, Oppo closed down other parts of its operations in France, and in April confirmed that its business in Germany was still “on hold” following a ruling in the patent case that prevented the company from selling its devices in the country.

This latest development, though, comes right as Oppo has had a victory. As Frandroid brings out, Oppo actually won its patent dispute with Nokia in France. A judge in the Paris Court of Justice ruled that Nokia’s patents are considered invalid due to a “lack of novelty.” Nokia is likely to appeal the decision, but in the meantime, it certainly lessens the threat Oppo has been facing.

An Oppo spokesperson explains:

OPPO has received the decisions of the Paris Court of Justice, the French judge declares that the EP486 and EP731 patents of Nokia are considered invalid for the reason of lack of novelty. Thus, OPPO won the trial at first instance after a two-year court case over Nokia’s EP486 and EP731 patents.

Oppo’s future in France, and other parts of Europe, remains unclear, but this has certainly been an interesting twist to the story.