Samsung has lost a patent battle over Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei.
A Chinese court in Quanzhou has ordered the consumer electronics giant to pay Huawei 80 million yuan, or $11.6 million, for allegedly infringing on the Chinese phone maker’s intellectual property.
The disputed technology patents are related to a smartphone’s graphical displays; such as how certain icons should be arranged. According to Reuters, Huawei alleged that over 20 different Samsung smartphones and tablets make use of its technology without permission. The two are also suing each other over patents in other courts.
Samsung countersued in July over six alleged infringed patents, saying it had attempted to resolve the dispute “amicably”.
Although intellectual property disputes that pitted one tech giant against another were common a few years ago, they have been fought out of the public eye in more recent times. Even so, many of the details of the latest case were redacted by the court because of commercial privacy concerns.
Huawei’s victory was tempered, however, by news that it could face a sales ban in the UK.
“Huawei believes that respecting and protecting the intellectual property of others enables all companies to make a return on our R&D investments,” a spokesman told the BBC after the verdict. “We maintain that respect for intellectual property promotes innovation and healthy, sustained growth in the industry.”
A spokesman for Samsung said it intended to review the court’s decision and would decide its response later.
“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,” he added.
