Lenovo (USA), a subsidiary of Lenovo Group, filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on November 15, accusing Asus Computer Corporation and Asus Computer International Inc. of infringing on Lenovo's multiple patents in software, hardware and connectivity of various Asus products. The lawsuit was against documents related to cellular technology submitted by Asus to the Munich District Court in August 2023. Lenovo had proposed a cross-licensing agreement as a solution.
Lenovo said it is a strong supporter of cross-licensing agreements, open and transparent negotiations, and licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms within the industry. This is evidenced by the group's ongoing litigation with InterDigital, in which Lenovo advocates greater transparency and less discrimination in licensing negotiations, and the British court has also certified that Lenovo is a willing licensor.
Lenovo believes that the lawsuit against ASUS reflects the group's commitment to protecting its significant contributions to technological innovation and industry "firsts" over the past 39 years. Lenovo holds a patent portfolio of more than 28,000 patents worldwide, and another 14,000 patent applications are being processed.
John Mulgrew, Lenovo Group's deputy general counsel and chief intellectual property officer, commented on patent assertion: "We believe that given the strength of our patent portfolio and our position and experience as a licensee and licensor, now is the time to more aggressively assert our patent portfolio to achieve greater balance in licensing. Increasingly, we are seeing some licensors bypassing FRAND discussions and instead relying on threats to obtain licenses from licensees. "We believe that a better approach is to be respectful, open, and fair, and to obtain external assistance through FRAND if negotiations reach an impasse. While litigation is always a last resort for Lenovo, we do believe that we need to protect our intellectual property while continuing to encourage licensing transparency to enable continued investment in innovation and ensure that customers around the world can benefit from the spread of affordable technology."
Lenovo invests US$2.2 billion in research and development every year, and recently announced an investment of US$1 billion in artificial intelligence innovation.
The case will be represented by multinational law firm DLAPiper.