After over a week of complete downtime, Asus.de is online again — but the recovery comes with a significant asterisk. The laptop and desktop sections have been removed entirely from the site’s navigation, a direct result of the Nokia HEVC patent injunction issued by the Munich I Regional Court. Peripherals, support pages, and driver downloads are all accessible again. Acer’s German website, meanwhile, remains on a maintenance notice with a reduced store and a banner warning customers that select products are unavailable in Germany.
Table of Contents
Asus vs Acer Germany: Current Status Compared
The contrast between how the two companies have handled the same court order is striking — Asus restored support access within a week; Acer’s main site is still largely offline.
| Detail | Asus Germany | Acer Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Website Status | Restored — asus.de fully accessible | Partial — maintenance notice on main site; store back online with reduced inventory |
| Laptops / Desktops Listed | No — categories removed from navigation | No — banner states select models unavailable in Germany |
| Peripherals | Yes — fully listed | Limited |
| Driver / BIOS Downloads | Yes — support pages restored | Acer support page linked from maintenance notice |
| Software Updates for Existing Customers | Yes | Yes — Acer confirms existing customers will receive future updates |
| Cause | Nokia HEVC/H.265 patent injunction | Same — Nokia HEVC/H.265 patent injunction |
| Court | Munich I Regional Court | Munich I Regional Court |
| Sales Workaround | Third-party retailers (Amazon.de, MediaMarkt) | Third-party retailers (Amazon.de, MediaMarkt) |
| VPN Workaround | No — German users redirected even from US site | No |
| Timeline to Normal | Unconfirmed — depends on licensing agreement | Unconfirmed |
Why Nokia Got a Court to Pull Asus and Acer Laptops Off German Shelves
The dispute centres on HEVC (H.265) — the video codec used in almost every modern laptop, TV, and phone for streaming 4K content. Nokia holds patents in the HEVC standard and licenses them to manufacturers. When Nokia and a manufacturer can’t agree on FRAND licensing terms (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory), Nokia can seek an injunction in courts that honour its IP claims — and Germany’s patent enforcement reputation makes it a common venue for exactly this kind of dispute.
Both Asus and Acer were found by the Munich court to have failed to agree to FRAND-compliant licensing terms, triggering the temporary sales ban. The injunction is limited to Germany; both companies can still sell anywhere else in the world without restriction.
The most damaging practical consequence wasn’t the sales ban itself — it was the collateral support outage. When both companies took their German sites down, existing customers lost access to BIOS updates, drivers, and warranty support pages for hardware they already owned. Asus has now restored that access. Acer’s existing customers are promised continued software updates, but the path to get them is still less straightforward than it was before.
Neither company has provided a timeline for full restoration. Resolution almost certainly requires either a licensing agreement with Nokia or a successful appeal — and neither tends to move quickly.
Check our Asus and Acer laptop deals available now on TechnoSports and our global tech legal and patent news 2026.
FAQs
Can I still buy Asus or Acer laptops in Germany?
Yes — through third-party retailers like Amazon.de and MediaMarkt, which are not covered by the injunction. Asus and Acer’s own German websites cannot list or sell laptops and desktops directly.
Why are Asus and Acer banned from selling laptops in Germany?
Nokia obtained a court injunction from the Munich I Regional Court after both companies failed to agree to FRAND licensing terms for Nokia’s HEVC/H.265 video codec patents, temporarily blocking direct laptop and desktop sales in Germany.
