Amazon is no longer permitted to sell Fire sticks using HEVC technology in Germany following a ruling from Munich Regional Court. 13 of Amazon’s Fire stick range across several different generations are covered by the ruling that found Amazon to have Amazon infringed Nokia’s patent no. EP 2 375 749. The patent protects a system and method for efficient scalable stream adaptation. The judges did not accept the parcels to entertainment company’s FRAND defence.
Arvin Patel, Nokia’s Chief Licensing Officer New Segments said: “The Munich Regional Court in Germany has ruled that Amazon is using Nokia’s patented video-related technologies in its end user streaming devices and is selling them illegally without a licence. The Court also found that Nokia has acted fairly in its negotiations with Amazon. We hope that Amazon accepts its obligations and agrees a licence on fair terms.”
Amazon must now pay damages and provide Nokia with information regarding its revenue from the products covered under the ruling. However, Fire sticks may continue to be sold at retail unless Nokia chooses to enforce the judgement. In addition to Germany, Nokia has also filed cases in the United States, UK and India.
Amazon said it disagreed with the court’s decision and was looking for a speedy resolution.