Source: Reuters

Recently, the Seventh Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Munich, Germany, ruled in a patent dispute against the well-known Amazon company in favor of Nokia. The Court found that the e-commerce giant used Nokia’s patented video technology without authorization.

Arvin Patel, Nokia’s chief licensing officer, said in a statement that the Court recognized that the Finnish company acted reasonably during negotiations with Amazon, in which it sought financial compensation for its technologies. In response, Amazon expressed disagreement with the court’s decision, stating that it expects a quick solution, although no specific details were provided.

It should be recalled that the Finnish company initiated legal action against Amazon in October 2023 for the unauthorized use of its technologies, filing lawsuits in the United States, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) of the European Union.

According to Nokia, Amazon Prime Video and streaming devices infringe several multimedia patents, ranging from video compression and delivery to content recommendation and hardware-related aspects.

Furthermore, Nokia has also upheld that since 2017, it has closed or extended more than 270 amicable agreements for using its patents with all types of manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, and has only initiated legal action against six companies.

In this context, Nokia could force Amazon to stop selling Fire TV Stick devices in Germany. Of course, before this drastic measure is taken, the company will continue to negotiate with Amazon to reach an agreement to pay licenses that they consider fair, something they have not achieved so far. Amazon will undoubtedly be able to appeal the German court’s decision, but this still sets a precedent for Nokia’s legal battle with Amazon over its patents.