February 15, 2026
Patent panic in PC-land
Court orders Acer and Asus to stop selling PCs in Germany over H.265 patents
German court freezes Acer & Asus PCs; commenters cry patent shakedown
TLDR: A Munich court ordered Acer and Asus to halt direct PC sales in Germany over Nokia’s video patent claims. The community is roaring: many call it a patent shakedown and demand open codecs, while others say “pay the license”—and shoppers race to grab remaining stock.
Germany just told Acer and ASUS to hit pause on selling PCs, and the comment section immediately turned into a patent cage match. A Munich court ruled the companies weren’t acting as “willing licensees” for Nokia’s H.265/HEVC video tech—basically the stuff that makes streaming look good—under FRAND rules (fair, reasonable, non‑discriminatory licensing). Nokia says it just wants fair payment; Acer says it’s appealing. Retail shelves aren’t wiped yet, but direct shipments are on ice.
Online, people didn’t hold back. The top vibe: this is a shakedown, with users calling Munich a “plaintiff’s paradise” and dropping links to past drama here. One hot take: why punish PC makers when the codec lives inside GPUs and operating systems? Another camp fires back: if you use the tech, pay the toll—Hisense licensed and moved on. The anti‑patent crowd goes nuclear: “communication standards shouldn’t be patentable,” full stop, with HEVC crowned “the worst codec, legally speaking.”
Memes flew: “HEVC = Here’s Extra Vendor Cash,” “Germany speed‑running the ‘No Video For You’ patch,” and shoppers joking about sprinting to MediaMarkt before stock dries up. Meanwhile, open‑source fans chant AV1, VP9, anything-but-HEVC, turning this court order into a rally for open standards. Verdict from the comments: drama level eleven, and your next laptop purchase just got complicated.
Key Points
- •Munich I Regional Court issued an injunction on January 22, 2026 against Acer and ASUS over Nokia’s H.265/HEVC patents, forcing a pause in direct PC and laptop sales in Germany.
- •The case involves multiple HEVC-related patents, including EP 2 375 749, asserted in Germany and the Unified Patent Court, with findings of infringement and licensing conduct issues.
- •The court determined Acer and ASUS were not willing licensees under FRAND, enabling injunctive relief; Hisense obtained a license in early January 2026.
- •Acer said affected product sales in Germany are suspended and it is considering legal action; other categories such as monitors, routers, e-scooters, and accessories remain available.
- •Retailers are not directly enjoined; existing Acer/ASUS stock may still be sold by outlets like Amazon, MediaMarkt, and Saturn, and no recall is involved.