Lenovo and Motorola will no longer be allowed to sell devices with wireless connectivity after America’s InterDigital won a patent dispute.

Lenovo and Motorola are no longer allowed to sell devices with WiFi connectivity in Germany. This ban comes after a lawsuit resulting from a patent dispute between Motorola and its parent company Lenovo on the one hand and the American InterDigital on the other.

InterDigital holds patents on WWAN modules that enable wireless connectivity in smartphones and some laptops. The company believes Lenovo is using the patents and is seeking compensation it believes is fair. Lenovo does not agree and considers the requested sum to be excessive, but the German court sided with InterDigital.

The results will be noticeable immediately. Lenovo and Motorola will no longer sell hardware that includes GSM, UMTS, LTE and 5G in Germany. If it has a SIM or eSIM card, it is subject to the decision of the court. Among other things, the new Motorola Edge 50 smartphones may no longer be sold in this way. Stores can continue to stock their existing inventory.

To Oppo

The dispute is reminiscent of a similar fight between Oppo and Nokia. Due to this patent discussion, Oppo disappeared from German stores in 2022. The ruling in this case caused uncertainty and slowed Oppo’s investments in Europe. Only recently was the matter fully resolved and Oppo was able to focus on Europe again.

Such cases usually have an outcome over time in which the hatchet is buried. Lenovo will appeal and discussions with InterDigital will undoubtedly take place again. Sooner or later there will be a new decision or agreement, but in the meantime, Lenovo and its subsidiary Motorola must act. Germany is a large European market and a ban on devices with mobile connectivity would certainly hurt Motorola’s sales.

Just because the court in Munich ruled against Lenovo doesn’t mean that the ban suddenly also applies in Europe. InterDigital could of course also compete with Lenovo in other countries.