Huawei Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics over infringement of patents covering smartphones and related technologies.
On May 25, Wednesday, the Chinese smartphone maker said that Samsung had made an unlicensed use of 4G cellular communications technology and software in its smartphones.
"We hope Samsung will respect Huawei's R&D investment and patents, stop infringing our patents and get the necessary license from Huawei, and work together with Huawei to jointly drive the industry forward," said Ding Jianxing, president for Huawei's intellectual property rights division, in an official statement.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Huawei is pursuing compensation for the South Korean company's "alleged infringement of 11 of its patents related to smartphones and cellular networks."
"The lawsuit covers Samsung's use of cellular network protocol that Huawei says helps ensure uninterrupted phone service on 4G LTE networks," wrote the WSJ. "Huawei alleges that Samsung has used this technology on its flagship products, dating back to the Galaxy S II handset that it released five years ago."
Huawei's lawsuit is now considered the first biggest legal challenge posed against the world's top smartphones maker, noted the WSJ.
Meanwhile, Reuters said that the legal battle between the two handset makers indicates that the tables have turned.
"The lawsuit marks a reversal of roles in China where firms have often been on the receiving end of patent infringement disputes," said Reuters. "In smartphones, makers have grown rapidly in recent years but different intellectual property laws outside of China have slowed overseas expansion."
Previously, Xiaomi Inc. was slapped with a lawsuit by Ericsson over patents infringement.
The Chinese tech company lost the case and was banned from selling specific devices in India.
When sought for comments, Samsung told Reuters that it would "take appropriate action to defend Samsung's business interests." The group did not elaborate further on its next steps.