Huawei Technologies Co. has filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Verizon Communications Inc. following an apparent failure to agree licensing terms for the use of its intellectual property.
Though the content of the legal action doesn't appear to have the highest of stakes, it's a fresh sign of Huawei's increasingly combative stance toward U.S. companies in the wake of crippling sanctions from Washington.
Huawei sued the Federal Communications Commission in December, seeking to overturn a regulatory decision that would hurt the Chinese corporation's business with its last major American clients.
Another point of legal conflict surrounds the arrest of Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, Canada over a year ago. Meng, also the eldest daughter of billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, is facing a potential extradition to the U.S. for fraud charges, though she denies any wrongdoing.
Shenzhen-based Huawei is one of the world's most prolific patent holders, with more than 80,000 worldwide and 10,000 in the U.S. alone, the company said in a statement today. It's also one of the leading developers of fifth-generation wireless networking tech, or 5G.
It joined IBM, Apple and Amazon as one of the top 10 patent receivers in the U.S. last year, according to an analysis of filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Huawei said last summer that it will not weaponize its vast IP pool and was discussing licensing of its portfolio of patents with European and U.S. entities including Verizon and Qualcomm Inc.
