Recently, it was reported that Huawei filed a patent infringement lawsuit against MediaTek in a Chinese local court. According to a report from TechNews, in response, MediaTek and its subsidiaries, HFI Innovation and MTK Wireless, have initiated countermeasures by filing a lawsuit against Huawei in a UK court, accusing Huawei of patent infringement.

MediaTek has stated that the case against Huawei is now in the judicial process and has declined to comment further. On the other hand, Huawei has not publicly responded to the matter.

A report from Chinese media outlet YiCai further cited sources, revealing that the dispute between MediaTek and Huawei over patent fees has been continuing for two to three years, yet the two parties are still unable to reach an agreement due to pricing issues.

On July 18, a report from Nikkei indicated that Huawei had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against MediaTek in a Chinese local court, drawing industry attention. On July 19, MediaTek issued an announcement stating that the lawsuit has no significant impact on the company, that it has entered the judicial process, and that the company will not comment further.

Industry sources cited by TechNews further suggest that Huawei’s lawsuit against MediaTek for patent infringement likely involves 5G (and possibly 4G, 3G, etc.) cellular network mobile communication technology. Reportedly, the reason for the lawsuit is that Huawei proposed a corresponding fee to MediaTek based on terminal patent licensing prices, but MediaTek considered the price too high, leading to the impasse.

Notably, both Huawei and MediaTek hold a large number of related patents. As of the end of 2022, Huawei possessed over 120,000 validly authorized patents worldwide. According to another report from YiCai, it owns 20% of the world’s 5G and Wi-Fi 6 patents, 10% of 4G patents, and 15% of NB-IoT and LTE-M patents.

As for MediaTek, it held over 13,000 patents globally by the end of 2022, with 1,200 patents granted in that year alone. These figures only include granted patents, excluding pending applications. Additionally, MediaTek ranks first among Taiwanese companies in the number of global patents for 5G, Wi-Fi, and HEVC/VVC technologies.

Industry sources cited by the Commercial Times also note that in recent years, China’s technological capabilities have significantly improved, and companies have been actively applying for patents domestically and internationally. With the support of the Chinese government, they have also started to frequently engage in patent litigation. Last year, Chinese courts received 5,062 technical intellectual property and monopoly cases.

Read more

• [News] U.S. Department of Commerce Introduces New Regulations to Restrict China from Training AI Using U.S. Cloud Services
• [News] New Focus in the US-China Tech War! Can China Overtake with Silicon Photonics?

(Photo credit: MediaTek)

Amid ongoing rumors about Huawei potentially establishing its own wafer fab, the company has remained relatively discreet, especially in light of the U.S. restrictions on the exportation of semiconductor technologies to China. However, recent developments suggest that there may be some truth to these rumors. According to a patent announcement from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Huawei has applied for a patent related to wafer processing.

According to a report from Chinese media outlet JRJ on December 12th, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. has filed a patent application titled “Wafer Processing Device and Wafer Processing Method” under the public number CN117219552A with the CNIPA. The application date is listed as June 2022.

The patent abstract shows the embodiments disclosure related to devices and methods for wafer processing. The wafer processing device comprises a wafer stage rotated along a rotation axis, a mechanical arm with a robotic hand for handling wafers and placing them on the wafer stage, a controller, and a calibration component. The calibration component includes a grating plate, fixed relative to the wafer stage; a light source, fixed relative to the grating plate; and an imaging element, fixedly provided on the mechanical arm, and adapted to receive light emitted from the light source and transmitted through the grating plate; wherein , the controller is configured to control the mechanical arm or the adjustment device on the mechanical arm to adjust the position of the wafer based on the detection of the received light by the imaging element;wherein, when the wafer stage carries the wafer, the grating plate and the imaging element are respectively located on opposite sides of the table where the upper surface of the wafer stage is located, and the upper surface is used to carry the wafer. The devices and methods provided by embodiments of the present disclosure can improve wafer alignment efficiency and alignment accuracy.

Earlier reports have suggested that Huawei is involved in the construction of wafer fabs in China. According to a news report from Bloomberg, Huawei is actively contributing to the expansion of at least three wafer fabs in the country. In its pursuit of building a self-sustaining semiconductor network, Huawei has acquired manufacturing facilities from Jinhua Integrated Circuit (JHICC) and Qingdao Aristocrat (Suppoly). Additionally, the company has assisted in the establishment of production facilities operated by Pengxinwei (PXW) and Shenzhen Pengsheng Technology (PST). It is worth noting that JHICC and PXW face challenges in selling their products to multinational corporations and encounter difficulties in procuring advanced wafer manufacturing equipment due to being blacklisted by the U.S. government.

(Image: Huawei)

Explore more

• [Insights] Chinese Government Invests in Huawei Supply Chain; Semiconductor Self-sufficiency for China’s Long-Term Growth

On September 13th, Huawei and Xiaomi announced a global patent cross-licensing agreement that covers communication technologies, including 5G.

Huawei stated, “We are pleased to have reached this licensing agreement with Xiaomi. This agreement once again underscores the industry’s recognition of Huawei’s contributions in the field of communication standards and allows us to enhance our future research investment in mobile communication technologies.”

Xiaomi expressed, “We are delighted to have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement with Huawei, which fully demonstrates the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property rights. Xiaomi will continue to uphold its values regarding intellectual property, respecting intellectual property rights, seeking win-win, and building a long-term sustainable intellectual property partnership to promote technology for the benefit of a broader audience.”

Previously, on August 25th, Huawei and Ericsson announced a long-term global patent cross-licensing agreement, covering essential patents related to a wide range of standards, including 3/4/5G cellular technologies within the framework of standards organizations such as 3GPP, ITU, IEEE, IETF, and others. This agreement includes both communication network infrastructure and terminal device sales. According to the agreement, both parties license each other to use their respective standard patent technologies worldwide.

In addition to Xiaomi and Ericsson, Huawei has signed nearly 200 bilateral licensing agreements, and over 350 companies have obtained Huawei patent licenses.

According to official data, as of the end of 2022, Huawei holds over 120,000 valid authorized patents worldwide, with a significant presence in China, Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Huawei holds over 40,000 patents in both China and Europe, as well as more than 22,000 patents in the United States.

(Photo credit: Xiaomi)