The biggest chip supplier to Android phones, Qualcomm, has recently sued one of China's renowned smartphone makers for violation of non-standard essential patents. Qualcomm has filed a lawsuit against Transsion Holdings in India as per which the latter has violated four non-standard essential patents, Financial Times reported. Notably, Transsion is one of the few Android smartphone makers that doesn’t use Qualcomm chipsets. For the majority of its phones under brands like Tecno and Infinix, Transsion chooses to go ahead with Mediatek processors.
The report by Financial Times quoted Qualcomm's general counsel, Ann Chaplin, as saying, “Qualcomm has sued Transsion to protect our patent rights and help restore a level playing field for all our licensees.” The general counsel also stated that Transsion declined to accept a licence from the US chipmaker for the majority of its mobile products due to which it had no other option than to pursue 'litigation to enforce our rights'.
Transsion's Response
Financial Times in the report cited a Transsion spokesperson as saying that they respect the intellectual property rights of third parties. The spokesperson added that the company is ready to reach an IP licence agreement with patent holders through 'friendly negotiations'.
The spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We have signed a 5G standard patent licence agreement with Qualcomm and are in the process of fulfilling that agreement.”
This is not the first instance of Transsion facing legal action for intellectual property violations. Back in 2019, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei initiated a lawsuit against Transsion over similar issues. This history of legal disputes underscores the ongoing challenges that Transsion has faced regarding IP compliance and it also highlights the broader industry conflicts that are going on over technology and innovation rights.