Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek, along with its subsidiaries HFI Innovation and MTK Wireless, has taken legal action against HUAWEI Technologies in the High Court of Justice for England and Wales.
This lawsuit comes shortly after MediaTek revealed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it had become the target of a patent infringement lawsuit filed by HUAWEI in China.
The specifics of the technologies involved in both lawsuits are not publicly available at this time. However, sources familiar with the situation have informed Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) that the disputes revolve around patents related to cellular communication technologies. The legal battles reportedly stem from a breakdown in negotiations over a licensing agreement for chip components, which ended unsuccessfully after three years of discussions.
HUAWEI is pursuing a licensing strategy that diverges from the conventional approach for cellular Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). Traditionally, SEP licensing focuses on end products such as smartphones. However, HUAWEI appears to be targeting chipsets directly with its new component-level licensing strategy. The exact reasons for this shift are not entirely clear. Still, one anonymous lawyer suggested that it might be a strategic maneuver, given that both MediaTek and HUAWEI are major players in the 5G chip market.
This new licensing approach could be part of HUAWEI’s broader strategy to exert pressure on chipmakers like MediaTek and Qualcomm, potentially affecting how royalty fees are distributed and shifting the focus away from major phone manufacturers.
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