Newsflash: First-Ever SEP Judgment in Africa – Moroccan Court Interdicts Transsion Smartphone Sales

The Casablanca Trade Court on 6 July 2026 handed down what appears to be Africa’s first standard essential patent (SEP) ruling, interdicting two Transsion Holdings subsidiaries, Tecno Mobile Limited and Itel Mobility Limited, from selling 4G and 5G smartphones found to infringe Ericsson cellular patents.

The Moroccan proceedings sit within a broader multi-jurisdictional offensive launched by Ericsson against Transsion from late 2025, with parallel actions now pending in Brazil, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Colombia, South Africa, and several other markets. Ericsson commenced the Moroccan action in December 2025; the court’s move to an injunction within roughly six months is notably rapid by comparative standards.

That pace, in a jurisdiction with no prior SEP track record, may encourage other patent holders to test the Moroccan courts, particularly given the country’s growing importance as a commercial gateway to North and West Africa.