Transsion, which already controls 48% of the smartphone market in Africa and is one of the top five suppliers in the global market, is facing intellectual property claims from Qualcomm and Philips. She is accused of violating patents owned by these companies.
Image source: Transsion
According to the Financial Times, the American Qualcomm filed a lawsuit against Transsion, first in India, and then in Europe and China. Philips also filed a lawsuit against Transsion in India. The accused smartphone maker’s products are known under the brands Tecno, Itel and Infinix. Finnish Nokia also cannot yet obtain payments from Transsion for the use of its patented technologies, according to sources.
According to Qualcomm spokeswoman Ann Chaplin, Transsion has refused to license Qualcomm technology used in the bulk of its mobile product range, so the copyright holder will have to defend its interests in court. Qualcomm strives not only to protect its legal rights, but also to ensure equal conditions for competition in the market for all its participants who are licensees of the company’s technologies.
Transsion, according to company representatives, respects the rights of intellectual property owners and intends to reach technology licensing agreements with rights holders through “friendly negotiations.” In the case of Qualcomm, it has already entered into an agreement with Transsion to use patented technologies related to 5G smartphones. According to representatives of the Chinese company, it follows the provisions of this license agreement.
Philips India’s lawsuit against Transsion was filed back in January, but the parties refused to comment on its specifics to representatives of the Financial Times. Even in the home market of China, Transsion was not without legal disputes with competitors, because back in 2019, Huawei Technologies brought forward its claims against it. Representatives of Transsion, regardless of any opponent, spoke about the injustice of the patent policy of some copyright holders in some regions of the planet. Royalty rates are sometimes inflated and disconnected from the economic realities of a particular region, as well as from the prevailing policies in the world market. Having achieved success in the markets of countries with growing economies, Transsion is now trying to gain a foothold in more prosperous regions, but is encountering resistance from competitors and partners in the field of licensing policy.