Huawei Could be Banned from Selling Smartphones in UK Over Patent Infringement Suit

Huawei, the third-largest global smartphone brand is fighting hard in its home country against the likes of OPPO and Vivo. Though the company is selling its smartphone in the U.S from last few years, it failed to get a big foothold there. Apart from its home country, Europe is where the company has been a popular brand with its smartphones. Even its sub-brand Honor was also well received in Europe. However, the company could face a ban on selling its smartphones in the UK after a patent lawsuit from the Unwired Planet which holds a number of wireless patents.

Though there is no clarity on the terms of the ruling of this three years old court battle, Huawei could be banned from selling its smartphones in the UK if it failed to license the required patents from the Unwired Planet. Huawei is seeking to get the patent license required for the UK market. The company even argued that Unwired Planet was in breach of copyright law since it is not allowing this licensing deal. However, the court has ruled in favor of Unwired Planet mentioning there is no breach in copyright law and Huawei can get the global license for the patents.

However, the formal decision will be heard in the next few week Unwired Planet comes up with a new set of terms for the global licensing of its patents. The court also mentioned that the earlier four offers by Unwired Planet to settle the dispute were not fair and reasonable. Earlier, Huawei even mocked its Chinese counterpart, Xiaomi saying its Honor smartphones are in compliance with all the patents. A couple of years, the Unwired Planet also filed patent suits against Apple, Blackberry, and HTC in the UK and Germany.

The earlier lawsuit also includes Huawei and covers six patents related to “2G/3G/4G telecommunication standards and push notification technology underpinning the Android ecosystem.” Even Xiaomi is slowly moving towards launching their smartphones in the Western market. At the CES 2016 event held in Las Vegas, the company showcased the Mi MIX in all new White color. It also sells smartphone accessories through its online store in the U.S and Europe. Before launching its first smartphone in the U.S, Xiaomi needs to get ready to face the patent lawsuits.

Stay tuned on Phone Radar for more details about the Huawei vs Unwired Planet’s legal battle.