Yes, admittedly the title sounds a bit strange. But it's true. Today the Munich Regional Court officially banned the applications Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. But the ruling is not yet legally binding. Everything on the subject can be found below.
The social media services Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are facing an official ban in Germany today. The reason for this is said to be various patent infringements. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the Munich Regional Court has officially banned the "offering and placing on the market" of the above-mentioned applications in a ruling. However, the ruling is not yet legally binding, so there is no reason to worry. The Facebook Group will most likely appeal to the Higher Regional Court.
What happened?
Blackberry has sued Facebook for multiple patent infringements in the Munich Regional Court and achieved a partial victory. The social media giant is alleged to have infringed a total of four patents. The ruling is provisionally enforceable – but Blackberry would be taking a significant risk. If Facebook were to win in the final instance, Blackberry would have to pay substantial damages. Whether the company would take this risk is doubtful. Although Facebook questions the validity of these four patents, the company is nevertheless prepared to adapt the four applications. As has now become known, Facebook's "Friend Suggestions" feature, among others, is said to infringe one of Blackberry's patents. The ability to send a chat history from WhatsApp via email also appears to be based on their idea, according to the Canadians. As already mentioned above, users of these services should fear nothing for the time being. It can be assumed that Facebook will appeal and implement its proposal to adapt all four apps – the ruling is nevertheless interesting. (Photo by bigtunaonline / Bigstockphoto)
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