Huawei filed a lawsuit against InterDigital in China, alleging the US technology company did not licence patents essential to 3G, 4G and 5G standards on fair terms.

In a regulatory filing released by InterDigital, the company revealed it was notified on 3 January that a civil complaint had been filed against it and some of its subsidiaries by Huawei in the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court.

Huawei claims InterDigital “violated obligation to licence their patents [that] are essential to 3G, 4G and 5G wireless telecommunication standards on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions”.

In the complaint, Huawei also asked the court to determine a royalty rate for all of its products made, and or sold in China from 2019 to 2023, which use InterDigital’s Chinese patents for the three network technologies.

InterDigital added its patent licence agreement with Huawei expired on 31 December 2018.

At the end of 2018, InterDigital was granted a retrial over a separate patent case with Huawei dating back to October 2013, relating to royalties due to be paid by the Chinese vendor.

InterDigital, a research and development company, makes the bulk of its revenue by licensing a global portfolio of wireless technology patents.