MPEG LA announced the District Court in Düsseldorf, Germany has ruled that Huawei and ZTE infringed patents of two patent holders in MPEG LA’s MPEG-4 AVC patent portfolio license.
For more information visit: www.mpegla.com
Unedited press release follows:
German Court Rules Huawei, ZTE Products Infringe AVC Patents
DENVER — November 16, 2018 — MPEG LA announced today that the District Court in Düsseldorf, Germany (“Landgericht Düsseldorf”) has ruled that Huawei Technologies Deutschland GmbH (“Huawei”) and ZTE Deutschland GmbH (“ZTE”) infringed patents of two patent holders in MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License (“AVC License”) by using their technologies in mobile phones that implement the AVC/H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10) Standard. The court also found that the license offered by the patent holders under those patents through the AVC License is fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory.
“The Landgericht Düsseldorf’s decision confirms the importance of respect for intellectual property, and offering everyone easy and affordable access to essential AVC technology under a single license is a cornerstone of the MPEG LA AVC License’s wide acceptance making that possible,” said Larry Horn, President and CEO of MPEG LA. “We continue to welcome Huawei and ZTE to join the nearly 2,000 Licensees who have entered into our AVC License.”
Verdicts in additional cases brought by AVC License patent holders against Huawei and ZTE before the Landgericht Düsseldorf are expected to be handed down in December.
The decisions of the Landgericht Düsseldorf can be appealed by the defendants. Also, the defendants have filed validity cases against the patents in suit before the Federal Patent Court in Munich, Germany (“Bundespatentgericht”).
MPEG LA, LLC
MPEG LA is the world’s leading provider of one-stop licenses for standards and other technology platforms. Starting in the 1990s, it pioneered the modern-day patent pool helping to produce the most widely used standards in consumer electronics history. MPEG LA has operated licensing programs for a variety of technologies consisting of nearly 20,000 patents in 90 countries with more than 250 patent holders and more than 6,000 licensees. Approximately 2,000 licensees enjoy the worldwide one-stop coverage of MPEG LA’s AVC Patent Portfolio License under essential patents owned by 38 patent holders. By assisting users with implementation of their technology choices, MPEG LA offers licensing solutions that provide access to fundamental intellectual property, freedom to operate, reduced litigation risk and predictability in the business planning process. For more information, go to www.mpegla.com.