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Samsung counters suit by Huawei over patents

Samsung Electronics is firing back at China’s largest smartphones maker, Huawei, with a counter-suit on patent infringement, according to Chinese media outlets on Friday.

The move comes two months after the Chinese company sued Samsung in both Chinese and U.S. courts for infringing on at least 11 of its patents.

According to the Beijing intellectual property court document, where Samsung filed the lawsuit, Huawei’s smartphone models, including the Mate 8 and Honor, have allegedly infringed on six of Samsung’s patents covering wireless communications, image saving systems and more, incurring losses of 161 million yuan ($24.1 million).

The suit also demanded the court to block Huawei and a major mobile device retailer, Hengtongda Department Store, from producing or selling products found to employ Samsung’s technologies.

“We have faithfully negotiated with other patent holders for the fair licensing of technology,” Samsung said in a statement Friday. “But despite our efforts to resolve this matter amicably, it has regrettably become necessary to take legal action in order to defend our intellectual property.”

The dispute on patents between Korean and Chinese players started as Huawei filed a lawsuit in May. While Chinese firms have mostly been on the receiving end of such suits, it was the first time a Chinese company filed intellectual property challenges against the Korean mobile giant.

Huawei said 16 of Samsung’s products, including the Galaxy S7 smartphone, have infringed on its patents by employing its 4G cellular communications technology, user interface related to icons display and other operating systems without formal licensing processes. It asked Samsung for 80 million yuan in compensation.

The face-off marks the growing presence of the Chinese smartphones manufacturer in the world market. Huawei is the third-biggest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, after Samsung and Apple. Global businesses have also pushed Chinese players to be more sensitive about securing the intellectual property rights of their technologies and contents.

Huawei said it had not yet received Samsung’s complaint, according to Bloomberg on Friday.

In 2011, similar disputes regarding patents have taken place between Apple and Samsung. Then, Apple started off by suing Samsung in a U.S. court, claiming it employed Apple’s technologies and phone designs. After a number of suits filed against each other in several jurisdictions, the fight settled down in August 2014 as the pair agreed to drop all litigations outside the United States.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]