LG Electronics filed two lawsuits against TCL Communication, alleging the China-based manufacturer had wrongfully used its standards-essential LTE patents in its handsets.

In a statement, LG said it filed the suits in the German district courts of Mannheim and Dusseldorf after “numerous attempts” to address its concerns. It alleges TCL Communication violated three patents covering minimising the loss of packet transmission; control timers for uplink synchronisation; and interference reduction in the uplink synchronising process.

“LG has long invested heavily in LTE innovation and when it becomes necessary, we take action to protect these important assets”, said Jeon Saeng-gyu, EVP of LG’s Intellectual Property Centre.

The South Korean vendor noted it had a long history of defending its LTE technology in the courts, citing a dispute with US-based smartphone manufacturer BLU Products in 2017, which ultimately resulted in a licensing deal being agreed.

It also pointed to three cases against Wiko, the French subsidiary of China-based Tinno Mobile.