Huawei Files Lawsuit Against Verizon For Patent Infringement

(RTTNews) - China's Huawei Technologies said it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against U.S. carrier Verizon Communications Inc. for using twelve of its patents without authorization.

The lawsuits were filed by Huawei in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

The Chinese telecom major is seeking compensation for Verizon's use of patented technology that is protected by twelve of Huawei's U.S. patents.

"Verizon's products and services have benefited from patented technology that Huawei developed over many years of research and development," said Dr. Song Liuping, Huawei's Chief Legal Officer.

The patents relate to computer networking technology, security and video communications, according to reports.

Huawei said it was unable reach an agreement on license terms despite negotiations with Verizon for a significant period of time. The company said Verizon must either pay for the use of its patents or refrain from using them in Verizon's products and services.

Huawei noted that it re-invests 10 percent to 15 percent of its revenue in R&D each year and has spent over $70 billion on R&D in the past decade. This has resulted in more than 80,000 patents worldwide, including over 10,000 patents in the United States alone.

Huawei received more than $1.4 billion in patent license fees, while it has also paid over $6 billion to date for the legitimate use of patented technologies developed by industry peers. 80 percent of these license fees have gone to companies in the U.S., Huawei added.

The patent infringement lawsuits come as Huawei adopts an aggressive stance against the U.S. after it was crippled by U.S. sanctions.

Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE are major players in the 5G market as they manufacture and sell telecom equipment for 5G networks at competitive prices. The U.S. has serious concerns about the security risks posed by Chinese technology companies, including Huawei and ZTE.

In December, Huawei had challenged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission or FCC's designation of the company as a national security threat by filing a petition in a U.S. court.