Huawei Sues Verizon for Allegedly Using 12 Patents Without Permission

  • Huawei has sued Verizon again, this time for using 12 of its networking patents without prior permission.
  • In June last year, Huawei asked Verizon to pay more than $1 billion in licensing fees for using 230 different patents without the company’s knowledge.
  • Verizon has brushed this aside as a PR stunt and has mentioned that it will defend itself “vigorously”.

Huawei has sued Verizon in the past over allegations of patent infringement. In June last year, the company asked Verizon to pay more than $1 billion in licensing fees for using 230 different patents without Huawei’s knowledge.

The Chinese manufacturer has sued Verizon again, this time for using 12 of its networking patents without prior permission. Verizon, on the other hand, has brushed this aside as a PR stunt, and has mentioned that it will defend itself “vigorously”.

In a statement to CNET, Verizon spokesperson Rich Young said, “This lawsuit is a sneak attack on our company and the entire tech ecosystem. Huawei’s real target is not Verizon; it is any country or company that defies it. The action lacks merit, and we look forward to vigorously defending ourselves.”

As per The Verge, Huawei is only sticking to 12 patents this time because it appears to have strong evidence against the American carrier. If found guilty, Verizon may have to pay millions in fines. Huawei has filed its lawsuit with the Eastern and Western district courts in Texas.

Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer said “Verizon’s products and services have benefited from patented technology that Huawei developed over many years of research and development. Huawei is simply asking that Verizon respect Huawei’s investment in research and development by either paying for the use of our patents, or refraining from using them in its products and services.”

It’s too early to tell how this will pan out, but it’s clear that this case is unlikely to come to a quick resolution. With Verizon motivated to defend itself, this case may drag on for a while yet.

Via: CNET, The Verge


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