The tech giants, Philips and Xiaomi have recently come into a slight disagreement, and Philips has sued Xiaomi over their use of their UMTS and LTE patents. This has led to Philips suing Xiaomi, and then withdrawing from the lawsuit. This is going to be an interesting story, so keep reading.
Philips and Xiaomi Sue
Philips and Xiaomi appear to have signed a license agreement to use Philips’ UMTS and LTE patents, and today Philips has announced that they have withdrawn from the lawsuit. The Munich District Court confirms that the two lawsuits concerning Philips patents EP 18 15 647 and EP 16 85 659, which were due to hear EP 659 on April 6, 2022 (case number: 21 O 13772), are no longer pending. The lawsuit in the UK has now been withdrawn and the companies have reached a settlement, according to an order of the UK High Court.
There have been news recently that the tech giants have come to an agreement. Philips successfully obtained several counter-suit injunctions against Xiaomi in Munich. In the early stages of the dispute, the UK High Court rendered an ex parte anti-suit injunction against Xiaomi. This is a legal measure that prevents a company from suing another company in a different country. The injunction was necessary because Xiaomi was trying to sue Ericsson in China, where Ericsson does not have any patents. The injunction allowed Ericsson to continue its business without fear of legal action from Xiaomi in China. However, the injunction was later overturned on appeal, and Xiaomi is now free to sue Ericsson in China. Little is known about the contents of the injunction, as the ruling was never published. Then, at the end of December 2021, the German Court of Justice declared Philips’ EP null and void, ending the infringement action in Munich. The German Federal Patent Court also recently expressed doubts about the validity of EP 659. Also, Philips did not only sue Xiaomi in Germany. According to JUVE Patent information, “several lawsuits are also pending in the UK, Netherlands, Spain and India”.
Apparently, a patent battle has also occurred between the two adversaries in China. Like other global patent disputes, Philips and Xiaomi are likely to have agreed on a global license. However, so far, neither side has confirmed a settlement agreement. According to JUVE patent information, as of 2020, Philips has applied for two patents in Germany and prosecuted more than four patents in the UK.
Philips has not only sued Xiaomi’s subsidiaries, but also the parent company. We will keep updating you on this topic.
(sources: JUVE Patents and ITHome)
