Huawei sues Samsung in $12.12m patent infringement claim

BEIJING – A subsidiary of Huawei Technologies has filed a third patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics at a regional court in China, fuelling its ongoing dispute with the world’s largest smartphone maker by sales.

Huawei Terminal Co. Ltd., which manufactures devices that can provide access to optical fibre networks, filed legal papers against the South Korean smartphone developer’s subsidiaries in China at the Quanzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Fujian Province, the company’s spokesperson told Caixin.

The company declined to disclose what patents Samsung has violated and how much Huawei will seek in terms of compensation, but local newspaper, Southeastern Morning Post, said the Chinese firm is demanding RMB80 million (US$12.2 million) in compensation from the three Samsung subsidiaries for what they believe was the unlicensed use of six patents related to terminal technology and communication devices on 16 Samsung products, including the Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy J5, without permission.

Huawei has been embroiled in a tussle over patents with several international rivals in recent months. Its latest move came after the Chinese telecom giant in May sued Samsung in a federal court in San Francisco and in the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong Province, where the company is headquartered, over infringement of patents linked to 4G cellular communications technology, operating systems and user interface software.

However, a market analyst said, while the two companies are competing in fields such as smartphones and base stations, Huawei relies on Samsung for its parts. The two companies will probably reach a settlement eventually, the analyst said. www.webershandwick.cn (ATI).