China's Huawei sues ZTE for patent infringement

China telecoms giant Huawei said Thursday it is suing hometown rival ZTE in Europe for alleged patent and trademark infringements, as the Chinese firms battle for overseas market share.

The lawsuits filed in Germany, France and Hungary accuse ZTE, a telecom equipment supplier, of breaching a series of Huawei's patents and illegally using a Huawei-registered trademark on some products.

"Huawei was compelled to initiate this action in order to protect our innovations and registered intellectual property in Europe," said Huawei chief legal officer Song Liuping in a statement.

"Intellectual property is among Huawei's most valuable assets. That is why we feel a responsibility to our customers and to our shareholders to do everything possible to protect these assets in any legal jurisdiction."

ZTE did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment. Huawei said it took legal action after ZTE failed to respond to "cease and desist letters".

Both Huawei and ZTE are based in the southern boom town of Shenzhen, next to Hong Kong, and are competing in the global telecommunications market.

(c) 2011 AFP