Qualcomm sues Chinese smartphone maker Meizu
Qualcomm has filed a suit against the Alibaba-backed smartphone maker Meizu in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, the company announced, for its unlicensed use of Qualcomm technology related to 3G and 4G LTE communications standards.
"Qualcomm's technologies are at the heart of all mobile devices," Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, said in a statement. "Meizu is choosing to use these technologies without a license, which is not only unlawful, but is unfair to other licensees that are acting in good faith and respectful of patent rights, and ultimately damaging to the mobile ecosystem and consumers."
Thie chipmaker has inked licensing deals in China with device makers like Lenovo and Huawei, but it has faced regulatory challenges in the country: Last year, Qualcomm had to pay a major fine in order to end an anti-trust probe by the Chinese government into its licensing practices.
In its release, Qualcomm said it tried to reach an agreement with Meizu that was consistent with the terms it reached with China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) over its licensing practices.
In his statement, Rosenberg said Qualcomm has been "a good partner in China."
"Chinese smartphone suppliers are succeeding both domestically and globally, and we are pleased to help drive that growth," he said.
The e-commerce giant Alibaba bought a $590 million minority stake in Meizu last year.