Realme, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has decided to exit the German market due to a lawsuit filed by Nokia. This decision comes just days after Vivo made the same choice for the same reason. According to executives of the company, realme will immediately stop selling its products in Germany. This means that the realme website in Germany is no longer accessible. And it is not possible to buy the brand’s products in the country.
Realme Exits German Market Due to Nokia Lawsuit
The reason for this decision is a lawsuit filed by Nokia, which asked the brands of the BBK conglomerate to pay a license for the use of technology patented by the Finnish firm. With this move, all firms of the conglomerate BBK Electronics have officially ceased to operate in Germany. However, both realme and the other companies are hopeful to reach an agreement with Nokia in order to remarket their products in the country.
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This news comes just a day after realme celebrated the arrival of two of its most important mobiles this year, the realme 11 Pro and realme 11 Pro+, in Europe. It is unclear how this decision will impact the future of realme and the BBK conglomerate in the European market.
As confirmed by representatives of the company, realme would have decided to redirect the budget of its German subsidiary to other subsidiaries that do operate in the European market with the aim of strengthening its position in important markets for the company, such as Spain. Despite not officially operating in Germany, realme has confirmed that owners of the brand’s devices will continue to receive support and repair services.
This move is not surprising. As the BBK conglomerate has already faced similar lawsuits from Nokia in other markets, such as India. In fact, Nokia has been quite aggressive in protecting its intellectual property. And has filed lawsuits against several phone manufacturers over the years.
It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold. And whether tbe company and the BBK group will be able to reach an agreement with Nokia. In the meantime, realme will focus on strengthening its position in other markets where it operates.