Samsung has famously brawled with Apple over patent infringement for years and while it continues to fight on that front, one of China’s biggest corporations is accusing it of patent infringement. Huawei has filed lawsuits against Samsung in the United States and China claiming that the Korean juggernaut is guilty of unlicensed use of 4G communications technology, operating systems, and user interface software in its smartphones.
Huawei is seeking compensation for its claims against Samsung. “We hope Samsung will … stop infringing our patents and get the necessary license from Huawei, and work together with Huawei to jointly drive the industry forward,” said Ding Jianxing, president of Huawei’s Intellectual Property Rights Department. Huawei held more than 50,000 patents as of December 31, 2015. It continues to bring in the bulk of its revenue through its telecommunications business and the company points out that just last year it invested 15 percent of annual revenue – $9.2 billion – in products and wireless communications standards as well as research and development.
We’re used to reading about Chinese firms being sued for patent infringement so there’s definitely a role reversal happening here. Samsung has not yet responded to these claims but it goes without saying that the company will fight this to the very end.
