Item 1 of 2 A view shows Nokia headquarters in Espoo, Finland, October 19, 2023. JUSSI NUKARI/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS/File photo
[1/2]A view shows Nokia headquarters in Espoo, Finland, October 19, 2023. JUSSI NUKARI/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
- German court rules Amazon violating a patent owned by Nokia
- Amazon faces fines if it continues streaming in Germany
- Follows a similar ruling in Munich last September
FRANKFURT, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Amazon’s
video streaming services in Germany were thrown into doubt on Friday when a German court ruled that the U.S. technology giant was violating a patent owned by Finnish network equipment maker Nokia
.
The regional court in the western city of Duesseldorf said it ruled that Amazon could no longer continue its streaming services in its current technical form in the country, or else face fines of 250,000 euros ($259,000) for “every case of violation”.
Nokia welcomed the court’s decision and said it meant that its patent covers streaming features such as Amazon Prime Video “which now are subject to an injunction in Germany”.
“…the innovation ecosystem breaks down if patent holders are not fairly compensated for the use of their technologies, as it becomes much harder for innovators to fund the development of next generation technologies,” Arvin Patel, Nokia’s chief licensing officer in charge of new segments, told Reuters in an emailed statement.
Amazon was not immediately available for comment.
Last September, a regional c
