German PC gamers might struggle to pick up Acer or Asus gaming laptops and desktops for the foreseeable future, as a court ruling out of Munich has put a pause on direct sales. This is the latest development in a patent suit filed by Nokia against the two companies, as well as Chinese electronics company Hisense last year.
The lawsuit alleges that Acer and Asus’ PCs plus Hisense’s smart TVs infringe upon three of Nokia's patents relating to the H.265 (HEVC) video codec standard (via Juve Patent). HiSense sought to settle in January and, following a license agreement, Nokia has since withdrawn its lawsuit against the company. Acer and Asus are still fighting it out in the courts.
