The US-based company bought 124 patent families relating to telecommunications and infrastructure technology from Nokia in 2012. In the same year, Vringo filed lawsuits against ZTE and many of its subsidiaries in the UK and Germany over patents that it acquired from Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent.
ZTE is currently prohibited from selling certain products in Romania, Germany and Brazil because of its patent disputes with Vringo.
Meng Qingfei, a Shenzhen-based patent lawyer at Yingke Law Firm, said many cusomers prefer reconciliation because once the case “falls into the mire of lawsuits” it will be expensive and time-consuming.
“Many companies reached reconcilation in the end, according to my experience,” he said. “But it can last for a long time if the price raised by the plaintiff is too high.”
SO IT WILL BE A MATTER OF WHEN AND NOT IF.
ZTE IS WILLING TO PAY TO FORGO THIS AT THE MOMENT BUT IT IS COSTING THEM MONEY. AT SOME POINT THEY WILL MAKE A DEAL AND PAY A PRICE FOR THE PATENTS. THE TROUBLE IS THAT THEY FEEL THEY SHOULD PAY TRIVIAL AMOUNTS AS THEY DO IN CHINA. BUT THAT IS NOT REALISTIC IN THE REST OF THE WORLD. THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY THE GOING RATE THAT OTHERS DO ELSEWHERE OR THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO BUSINESS IN THOSE ECONOMIES. THAT IS WHY THE INJUNCTIONS WERE GRANTED TO PREVENT THEM FROM SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS. ONCE THEY WAKE UP AND START TO BE REAL THEN SOME PROGRESS WILL BE MADE. OTHERWISE IT WILL GO THROUGH THE SYSTEMS AND THE JUDGMENTS WILL BE GRANTED AND THINGS WILL BE DECIDED THAT WAY.
YES IT COULD TAKE YEARS. BUT IT ALREADY HAS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS FOR SOME OF THESE CASES WHICH MEANS THEY ARE GOING TO BE COMING TO CONCLUSION AND THEY WILL BE OVER WITH AND ZTE WILL HAVE TO PAY. IF THEY DONT, THEN THEY WILL LOSE ALLOT OF BUSINESS FROM OTHER COMPANIES AS WELL WHO WILL REFUSE OR BE PREVENTED FROM DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM BY AUTHORITIES DUE TO ZTE'S NONCOMPLIANCE WITH COURT RULINGS. COMPANIES WILL NOT BE INCLINED TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS WITH ZTE WHO DOES NOT RESPECT LAWS OR THE RULINGS OF THE COURTS. JUST NOT GOOD BUSINESS AND TOO RISKY TO GET INVOLVED WITH COMPANIES LIKE THAT SO THEY WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THEIR COMPETITORS INSTEAD.
