Asus and Acer back online in Germany after patent dispute took them out — laptops and desktops still not available following injunction

Source: Tom’s Hardware

Image credit: Getty Images

German versions of the Asus and Acer websites are back online after a patent dispute took them down late last week. German publication ComputerBase monitored the situation and saw both sites return just hours ago. Tom’s Hardware confirmed that Asus.de and Acer.de are accessible again, though with some limitations.

Current status of Asus and Acer websites

• Acer: The German site displays a maintenance notice with a link to Acer’s German support page. The Acer online store is back, but inventory is reduced and a banner states:

  “Some Acer products are currently unavailable in Germany. Therefore, you will not find product information for these models on our German website at this time. If you are using such an Acer product in Germany, you will, of course, continue to receive future software updates. Many other exciting products are still available – discover them here now. We hope you enjoy browsing. If you have any further questions, our customer service team is always available to assist you.”

  Acer is not offering laptops or desktops for sale through its official German website at this time.

• Asus: Similar to Acer, Asus is not selling laptops or desktops directly on its German site, though support pages remain reachable.

Both companies confirmed that, following a court order, they will no longer offer direct sales of products that infringe on Nokia’s patents. Retailers are not currently affected, and support for German customers will continue.

Legal background

The dispute centers on the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.265) standard. Nokia holds patents for this codec, and a German court determined that Asus, Acer (and TV brand Hisense) must obtain a license to sell and import devices that include HEVC support in Germany. The ruling is not tied to specific products, but it impacts laptops and desktops because they ship with HEVC capability. Other components, such as GPUs, are unaffected.

Source: Tom’s Hardware – court ruling on HEVC patent dispute.

Company statements

• Asus told Tom’s Hardware that it is “evaluating and pursuing further legal action to reach a fair resolution as soon as possible.”
• Acer echoed this sentiment, stating it is “reviewing additional legal options in order to reach a fair solution as quickly as possible.”

The German court issued a temporary injunction against both companies, leading to an immediate suspension of sales following the ruling.

Impact and outlook

The injunction has halted direct sales of Asus and Acer laptops and desktops in Germany, though existing customers can still receive software updates. Retail channels remain open, and the companies continue to provide support. The situation highlights the broader implications of codec patent licensing and suggests that further legal developments between Nokia and the manufacturers are possible.