Lenovo filed a lawsuit against ZTE for patent infringement in the High Court of England and Wales on October 21, 2024. In response, ZTE officials stated, "We have always respected any enterprise's legal actions within the legal framework, but we are very disappointed by Lenovo's actions." In the mobile industry, patent disputes are not uncommon. Overall, most lawsuits end in settlements after initial negotiations.
Lenovo filed a lawsuit against ZTE for patent infringement in the High Court of England and Wales on October 21, 2024.
In response, ZTE officials stated, "We have always respected any enterprise's legal actions within the legal framework, but we are very disappointed by Lenovo's actions. We find it difficult to understand but respect Lenovo's decision to litigate in the UK this time. This lawsuit by Lenovo will not change ZTE's determination to protect its legitimate rights."
The plaintiffs in this lawsuit include Lenovo Group, Lenovo (USA), Lenovo Technology (UK) Limited, Motorola Mobility LLC, Motorola Mobility UK Limited, and Lenovo Innovations Limited (Hong Kong).
The defendants include ZTE, ZTE (UK) Limited, Nubia Technology Co., Ltd., and three UK dealers.
According to reports, Lenovo's actions may be a response to ZTE's previous patent licensing offers or lawsuits. ZTE's patented technology is valued at over 45 billion yuan, expected to generate income of 4.5-6 billion yuan for the company between 2021 and 2025.
It is understood that ZTE and Lenovo have been in negotiations for several years regarding patent licensing issues. ZTE has stated that they have always acted in good faith, seeking fair returns on their research and development innovations, and hope to resolve disputes through efficient and reasonable means. Due to trust in Lenovo as a Chinese company, ZTE has maintained a cautious and restrained attitude towards taking legal rights protection measures outside of negotiations.
ZTE stated, "We find it difficult to understand but respect Lenovo's decision to litigate in the UK this time. This lawsuit by Lenovo will not change ZTE's determination to protect its legitimate rights."
According to the 2024 Q2 global smart phone shipment report from market research firm TechInsights, Lenovo-Motorola ranks eighth with a 5% market share, a year-on-year growth of 28%, especially strong performance in the North American market. In this region, Lenovo-Motorola has solidified its third place position, with annual market share increasing by 14%.
Some industry analysts point out that Lenovo has chosen to file a lawsuit in the High Court of England seeking a favorable global licensing rate ruling. Previously, Lenovo has achieved positive results in litigation with InterDigital and LM Ericsson in the United Kingdom, with the court setting licensing rates closer to Lenovo's quoted price.
Patent disputes in the mobile phone industry are not uncommon. ZTE and its separated patent entities have been involved in litigation disputes with manufacturers such as Huawei, Samsung, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi in China, Germany, the United States, and other places. In addition to ZTE, Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and others have also been involved in lengthy patent litigations lasting several years.
Overall, most lawsuits end with settlements. Lawyer Xiong Dingzhong from Beijing Qinglu Law Firm told "Star Market Daily" that patent litigation between companies in the same technology field with a large number of patents is common. Negotiating cross-licensing agreements during the patent litigation process is a common outcome. In this case, the subsequent negotiation between the two companies can also be observed.