After several days of downtime, ASUS.de is back online, but Acer has yet to restore its Germany regional website.
ASUS.DE is Now Live, and ACER.DE is Still Down; ASUS Removes Disputed Desktop and Laptop Products From the Site Due to Ban by Munich Court
ASUS and Acer have been facing legal action from Nokia over a patent licensing dispute related to the HEVC/H.265 video codec.. The Munich I Regional Court forced both companies to halt direct sales of certain desktop PCs and laptops in Germany due to the same reason. The court found that ASUS and Acer had not agreed to licensing terms on Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) conditions required for using the HEVC standard.
The court granted Nokia an injunction that temporarily blocks its ability to sell certain desktops and laptops in Germany. In the rest of the world, these companies are currently able to sell these products, but the German regional websites were taken down by both after the court's ruling. While both Acer and ASUS are working to reach a fair solution, their websites remained down for several days, bringing difficulty for users in the country.
It was reported by several users that they weren't able to access even non-regional ASUS/Acer websites, which made it impossible for them to access the downloadable files for their products. However, today, ASUS just restored the website, letting users access the downloadable files and select products. The German ASUS website doesn't list any desktops or laptops at the moment due to the dispute, but you can check out its peripherals.
Acer, on the other hand, still has its website for the region offline, and if you access the website, it will show you a "maintenance work" notice. It's weird that Acer isn't able to restore its website while disabling the laptop/desktop catalog, which could have made it easy for its customers. Nonetheless, for users who are trying to buy their products, they will still be available through third-party retailers, including those that have been banned from the website by the court.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
