OPPO wins patent case in Europe | OPPO在欧洲专利案中胜诉

On May 27, 2020, the Hague Court of the Netherlands disclosed its decision about the lawsuit launched by Sisvel against OPPO for patent infringement in 2019. 

The patent called into the account is known as EP1129536B1 (also referred as EP536) relating to ‘Data transmission in radio system’. EP 536 is a standard essential patent applied in the EGPRS (Enhanced General Packet Radio Service) extension of the 2G-GSM standard. The Hague Court declared the patent invalid and the infringement claim is consequently dismissed. 

Oppo and Sisvel are said to have been in contact since 2015, however all their conducted negotiations have not resulted in a valid licensing agreement for many years, ultimately leading to fruitless licensing negotiations between the two sides.

After nearly three years of failed licensing negotiations, Sisvel launched a patent lawsuit against OPPO and other handset makers around the world as OPPO expanded into the European market. In April, May and June 2019, Sisvel sued OPPO, Iga and Xiaomi for patent infringement in London, Milan and The Hague.

From the perspective of market strategy, the success of this case gives a great significance to the development of OPPO European market. In June 2018, they launched the first OPPO FindX into the European market, and within two years, the brand OPPO has been launched in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany.

It has become a major player in the European smartphone market and a leading European technology and design brand by continuing to bring innovative products and technologies to the European market and partnering to drive the commercial landing of 5G terminals in Europe.

It is understood that on May 29, OPPO's headquarters in the Western European region of Dusseldorf, Germany, has also been officially unveiled. The success of this case not only lifted the threat of sales ban in the OPPO Dutch market, but also helped them to establish a good brand image in the Dutch market, which will undoubtedly help their expansion within the territory. 

2020年5月27日，荷兰海牙法院公开了Sisvel在2019年针对OPPO提起专利侵权诉讼的判决。

被诉专利称为EP1129536B1（又称EP536），涉及到 “无线电系统中的数据传输”。EP 536是一项标准必要专利，应用于2G-GSM标准的EGPRS（增强通用封包无线电服务）扩展。海牙法院宣布该专利无效，侵权请求因此被驳回。

据悉，OPPO和Sisvel从2015年开始就有所接触，然而多年的谈判并没有达成一个有效的授权协议，最终导致双方的授权谈判无果。

在经历了近三年的授权谈判失败后，随着OPPO向欧洲市场的扩张，Sisvel向OPPO和全球其他手机厂商提起了专利诉讼。2019年的4月、5月和6月，Sisvel在伦敦、米兰和海牙起诉OPPO、一加和小米专利侵权。

从市场战略的角度来看，这次胜诉对OPPO在欧洲市场的发展意义重大。2018年，OPPO推出了首款OPPO FindX进入欧洲市场，随后两年内，OPPO品牌已在法国、意大利、西班牙、荷兰、英国、瑞士、德国等地上市。

通过持续为欧洲市场带来创新产品和技术并合作推动欧洲5G终端的商用落地，OPPO已成为欧洲智能手机市场的重要参与者，也是欧洲科技和设计的领导品牌。

据了解，5月29日，OPPO位于西欧地区的德国杜塞尔多夫总部也已正式揭幕。此案的成功，不仅解除了OPPO在荷兰市场的禁售威胁，还帮助其在荷兰市场树立起良好的品牌形象，这无疑将有助于OPPO在荷兰境内的扩展。

Laura Batzella

HFG Law&Intellectual Property