German Court Rules Huawei, ZTE Products Infringe AVC Patents

(DENVER, CO, US – 16 November 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”).