Qualcomm takes Meizu to court in Germany and France
The American processor designer Qualcomm has announced that it will start lawsuits in various western countries against the Chinese smartphone maker Meizu. The cases will serve in Germany, France and the United States.
The cases come on top of Qualcomm’s lawsuit in China filed in June this year. The charge is the same; According to Qualcomm, Meizu refuses to pay for licenses on patents that the American processor designer has in the field of 3G and 4G.
In the United States, it concerns a complaint with the International Trade Commission, a government agency that deals with trade. In Germany, the case will go to the Mannheim Regional Court, which is known for its favorable rulings for patent holders. No charges have yet been filed in France, but Qualcomm wants to collect evidence of infringement of its patents.
According to a Qualcomm report, it has been trying to persuade Meizu to comply with China’s anti-monopoly law. Qualcomm says more than 100 other companies have previously agreed to a special rectification plan it prepared and submitted to China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Qualcomm submitted this plan after it was sanctioned for charging excessive license fees to Chinese companies. Qualcomm had to pay a fine of 860 million euros for this. The company also had to reduce the costs of the rights to use its techniques in China. Since then, the American processor designer has been concluding new patent agreements, which Meizu would not want to participate in.