InterDigital, a US-based mobile and video technology research and development company, has filed two patent infringement actions in India against Xiaomi.
One complaint involves infringement of five of InterDigital’s cellular 3G and 4G Indian patents and the other complaint involves infringement of three of InterDigital’s H.265/HEVC Indian patents.
The company said the claims were filed after years of negotiations and after InterDigital has made clear that it is willing to resolve the terms of a FRAND license through binding arbitration.
"Wireless and video standards play the important role of eliminating barriers to entry, enabling new companies – like Xiaomi – to enter the market and have success despite having made no investment in previous wireless research activities," said William J. Merritt, President and CEO of InterDigital.
"We’re hopeful that this record of research and licensing success, coupled with this claim in the Delhi High Court, will result in a fair license, and that Xiaomi will join Samsung, Apple, Huawei and many others as customers of InterDigital," Merritt said.
In the second quarter of this year, Chinese smartphone brands had nearly 80% market share in India, according to a report released earlier this month by market research firm Canalys.
Three of the top four sellers were Chinese brands, with Xiaomi being No. 1, Vivo No. 2, and OPPO No. 4, the report showed.
Xiaomi has been the largest seller of smartphones in India since late 2018. According to Canalys, in the second quarter of this year, Xiaomi shipped 5.3 million smartphones in India, representing a 30.9 percent share of smartphone sales in India.
