14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung subsidiaries in China must pay $11.6 million to Huawei Technologies for patent infringement, following a ruling made by a Chinese court. This is Huawei’s first victory against Samsung in legal disputes over intellectual property, according to Reuters.
Last year, Huawei accused Samsung of patent infringement, claiming that the South Korean smartphone maker allegedly used 4G communications technology without a license. In addition, Huawei said Samsung infringed on user interface software and operating systems in smartphones.
Samsung’s response to Huawei was its own patent infringement lawsuit, filed two months later. Samsung accused Huawei of allegedly infringing on six of its patents and sued the company through multiple courts in China.
The court ruling regards more than 30 million smartphones and tablets
One such court, the Quanzhou Intermediary Court, ruled in Huawei’s favor and ordered Samsung to pay $11.6 million in damages, as well as to stop infringing Huawei’s copyright immediately. Huawei’s claim affects over 30 million products, estimated to worth $12.7 billion, according to Reuters. The company sued for a total of 20 smartphone and tablet models that supposedly incorporated its technology, one of them being the Galaxy S7.
Huawei stated that it welcomes the court’s ruling, while Samsung intends to decide on its response after reviewing the decision. Most likely, Samsung will look for ways to appeal the decision. Huawei currently holds over 50,000 technological patents, while Samsung has been involved in many patent disputes over the past few years.
Last year, Samsung managed to overturn a decision made by the Supreme Court when it was ordered to pay $399 million in damages to Apple. The ruling was overturned and reopened by the Court of Appeal. Samsung had been ordered to pay the high sum for using rounded corners, bezels and an icon grid on its smartphones, very similar to what Apple employs on its iPhones.