Samsung is suing Huawei for patent infringement
Samsung is suing Huawei for allegedly infringing on six of its patents, Reuters reports. Samsung is asking a Beijing court to stop Huawei, as well as a Beijing department store, from producing or selling products that allegedly infringe on its patents, including Huawei's Mate 8 and Honor smartphones.
"Over many years, Samsung Electronics has pioneered the development of innovative mobile technologies through continuous investment in R&D to provide consumers with a wide selection of innovative products," a Samsung spokesperson said a statement provided to ZDNet. "At all times we have faithfully negotiated with other patent holders for the fair licensing of technology in order to ensure fair competition and continued growth in the industry. However, despite our best efforts to resolve this matter amicably, it has regrettably become necessary to take legal action in order to defend our intellectual property."
A spokesperson for Huawei said they haven't received a formal complaint, "but we will review any documentation and defend ourselves as appropriate when we do."
The complaints come just two months after Huawei, Samsung's biggest emerging competitor in the smartphone market, filed its own complaint against the South Korean company.
While smartphone growth has stalled globally, IDC said in late April 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.
In June, Huawei said it shipped 28.3 million units globally for Q1 2016 -- a jump of 64 percent from the number shipped in the same quarter for 2015. The company said its global smartphone market share has grown to 8.5 percent, thanks to "unprecedented global sales" of its new flagship phones, the P9 and P9 Plus.
Similarly, in May, the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech survey showed how the move to Android phones has benefited Huawei in several markets.
Meanwhile, Huawei has built up its patent portfolio, topping the list of global patent applicants last year. Along with its suit against Samsung, the Chinese company also recently filed a patent infringement suit against T-Mobile.