Nokia wins patent case against Amazon | Business Overview

The network equipment manufacturer Nokia has won a patent case against Amazon in the Munich Regional Court. The ruling could allow the Finnish company to stop selling certain models of Amazon’s Fire TV video streaming device in the future. The blog IPfray, which specializes in patent disputes, was the first to report on the case. Amazon confirmed the report.

The dispute concerns technical details in the H.264 and H.265 compression processes used in video streaming, which Nokia protected with patents several years ago. The level of the license fees that Nokia demands for use is controversial in the industry. Nokia has already had patent disputes settled in Germany on several occasions, because the regional courts in Munich and Mannheim in particular often rule in favor of the patent holders.

No automatic sales stop

However, a sales ban for Fire TV players will only come into effect in Germany if Nokia actively asserts its claim for an injunction. The Finns would have to provide a high security deposit because the ruling is not yet legally binding.

Amazon sharply criticized the ruling: “We believe the decision of the Munich Regional Court is wrong and are confident that the situation will soon be resolved.” The ruling will not affect existing customers. In addition, a wide range of Fire TV devices will continue to be available on Amazon.de. Amazon is always willing to pay a fair price for patent licenses. It has also 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 the choice for customers.”

Nokia could not be reached for comment.