Amazon Fire TV: A possible sales ban is imminent in Germany

Amazon has lost a legal battle against Nokia in Germany. The latter could now enforce a ban on the sale of Fire TV.

Update (20.09.2024): We now have a direct statement from Amazon:

“We believe the decision of the Munich Regional Court is wrong and are confident that the situation will soon be resolved. The ruling will have no impact on existing customers and a wide range of Fire TV devices will continue to be available on Amazon.com available. We are always willing to pay a fair price for patent licenses and have worked with a number of companies to license video patents of this type. Nokia demanded more than all of these companies combined and rejected our fair and industry-standard offer. We regret that Nokia is trying to limit choice for customers.“

Original article: What exactly is it about? Amazon and Nokia had a dispute in court in Germany over patents relating to video streaming. This legal dispute has been going on since autumn 2023. Now the regional court has issued a ruling in Nokia’s favour, allowing Nokia to obtain a permanent sales ban on Fire TV devices in Germany. According to the ruling, the way in which they decode video data does indeed infringe Nokia’s patents.

Amazon Fire TV: Sales ban is on the horizon

It is currently unclear whether Nokia will actually enforce the sales ban. If the Finns decide to do so, it also entails risks. Amazon will certainly appeal against the current ruling. If the online giant then wins in a higher court, Nokia would have to compensate for potential loss of revenue. For this reason, Nokia would have to deposit a large sum of money now to cover any damages later.

Either way, after Amazon’s legal setback, the pressure should increase to reach an agreement with Nokia on the licensing of the patents. Otherwise, it is possible that Nokia will impose a sales ban before the end of the year. In that case, the Amazon Fire TV will no longer be sold in Germany for the time being. This would also mean a significant loss of image for Amazon.

Nokia sees itself on the safe side

Nokia believes it is on the safe side legally and claims to have made fair licensing offers to Amazon long ago. The Munich Regional Court decided in Nokia’s favor after little deliberation, which suggests that it considered the case to be very clear. Amazon will now probably have to seek licenses that may cover both its streaming devices such as the Fire TV Sticks and smart TVs with Fire TV.

Nokia, formerly a successful mobile phone manufacturer, now makes its money primarily in the B2B sector and through patent licensing. It is likely that more such legal proceedings will follow.

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