German Court Rules Huawei, ZTE Products Infringe AVC Patents
November 16 2018 - 12:01AM
Business Wire
MPEG LA announced today that the District Court in Düsseldorf,
Germany (“Landgericht Düsseldorf”) has ruled that Huawei
Technologies Deutschland GmbH (“Huawei”) and ZTE Deutschland GmbH
(“ZTE”) infringed patents of two patent holders in MPEG LA’s AVC
Patent Portfolio License (“AVC License”) by using their
technologies in mobile phones that implement the AVC/H.264 (MPEG-4
Part 10) Standard. The court also found that the license offered by
the patent holders under those patents through the AVC License is
fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory.
“The Landgericht Düsseldorf’s decision confirms the importance
of respect for intellectual property, and offering everyone easy
and affordable access to essential AVC technology under a single
license is a cornerstone of the MPEG LA AVC License’s wide
acceptance making that possible,” said Larry Horn, President and
CEO of MPEG LA. “We continue to welcome Huawei and ZTE to join the
nearly 2,000 Licensees who have entered into our AVC License.”
Verdicts in additional cases brought by AVC License patent
holders against Huawei and ZTE before the Landgericht Düsseldorf
are expected to be handed down in December.
The decisions of the Landgericht Düsseldorf can be appealed by
the defendants. Also, the defendants have filed validity cases
against the patents in suit before the Federal Patent Court in
Munich, Germany (“Bundespatentgericht”).
MPEG LA, LLC
MPEG LA is the world’s leading provider of one-stop licenses for
standards and other technology platforms. Starting in the 1990s, it
pioneered the modern-day patent pool helping to produce the most
widely used standards in consumer electronics history. MPEG LA has
operated licensing programs for a variety of technologies
consisting of nearly 20,000 patents in 90 countries with more than
250 patent holders and more than 6,000 licensees. Approximately
2,000 licensees enjoy the worldwide one-stop coverage of MPEG LA’s
AVC Patent Portfolio License under essential patents owned by 38
patent holders. By assisting users with implementation of their
technology choices, MPEG LA offers licensing solutions that provide
access to fundamental intellectual property, freedom to operate,
reduced litigation risk and predictability in the business planning
process. For more information, go to www.mpegla.com.
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