Huawei sues Samsung for mobile patent infringement
Huawei Technologies is suing Samsung Electronics for mobile patent infringement, Reuters reports.
The Chinese company has reportedly filed suits in both the United States and China accusing its South Korean competitor of using its 4G cellular technology, operating systems and user interface software. In a statement, Huawei urged Samsung to obtain licensing agreements for those technologies, and to "work together with Huawei to jointly drive the industry forward."
While Chinese firms have typically been the target of patent infringement cases, they are starting to give more credence to intellectual property. In fact, Huawei topped the list of global patent applicants last year after filing 3,898 applications.
While smartphone growth has stalled globally, IDC says that Huawei has managed to push its way up in the market and ranked as the third largest vendor in the first quarter of 2016, behind Samsung and Apple.
For its part, Samsung said it would "thoroughly review the complaint" and take action to defend its interests.
Updated 11:40 am AEST 25 May 2016: Added Samsung response.