Xiaomi, Oppo sued by Panasonic over 4G patent infringement, adding to legal battles faced by Chinese smartphone giants
- The Japanese electronics giant says it has failed to reach licensing agreements with the two Chinese companies after years of negotiations
- Oppo has stopped selling OnePlus and self-branded handsets in Germany after losing a patent infringement lawsuit to Nokia last year
The cases concern patents on cellular communications technologies that are crucial to implementing industry standards, according to a statement by Panasonic on Wednesday.
“This is the first time Panasonic sees a need to initiate actions associated with its cellular communications [standard-essential patents],” the firm said.
It added that it had successfully reached licensing agreements with other smartphone companies, but failed to reach similar pacts with Xiaomi and Oppo after “years of bilateral negotiations”.
The lawsuits will proceed concurrently in China, Germany, the UK and the Unified Patent Court of the European Union, Panasonic said.
Shenzhen-based Oppo declined to comment on Thursday. Beijing-based Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
