Huawei’s patent fight with Verizon heads to court in Texas

The jury trial, which starts this week, will determine whether Verizon infringes on three Huawei patents and whether Huawei infringes on two of Verizon’s

The litigation is the first attempt from Huawei to recoup investments after being barred from US 5G networks on national security grounds, experts say

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Published: 10:13am, 7 Jul 2021Updated: 10:14am, 7 Jul 2021

Huawei Technologies Co says it was treated unfairly when the US government labelled it a security threat, yet China’s largest technology company is seeking redress from the American jury system in a major patent fight with Verizon Communications Inc.

A trial is set to being Wednesday in Marshall, Texas, in Huawei’s case against Verizon over claims it is using Huawei’s patented networking technology without a license. It’s the first of two scheduled this year over lawsuits Huawei filed last year against Verizon, the biggest US mobile carrier.

Accusations are being hurled by both of the deep-pocketed companies, illustrating the depth of animosity between them. Verizon says Huawei is using its patented inventions – not the other way around – and has accused Huawei of breaching pledges to offer fair and reasonable terms for licensing its technologies.

“These are two large rams with big horns and lots of testosterone and they’re going to butt heads in front of the jury for five days,” said Paul Berghoff, a patent lawyer with McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff, who isn’t involved in the case.

Huawei’s litigation with Verizon is the company’s first attempt to recoup investments after being barred from 5G network buildouts in the US and other nations amid US spying allegations, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tamlin Bason said in a note last month. “Similar actions against US carriers and network-equipment makers are possible,” he said.

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