A team of intellectual property experts from the international law firm, Gowling WLG, have represented mobile and video technology R&D company, InterDigital, Inc. in its High Court win against Lenovo which has been found to have infringed one of InterDigital's LTE essential patents.

InterDigital initiated legal proceedings against Lenovo in the United Kingdom and in the US district court in 2019 after it became clear Lenovo would not willingly agree to pay for a FRAND licence to InterDigital's wireless patent portfolio. This decision is the first from five technical trials that are scheduled to proceed before the UK High Court with an additional trial to establish fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms scheduled for January 2022.

Commenting on Gowling WLG's role in the proceedings, patent litigation partners Alex Brodie and Matt Hervey who led the case said:

"We are delighted to have been able to help our client, InterDigital, secure a finding that the patent in suit is valid, infringed and essential to Release 8 of LTE."

Richard Gulino, Chief Legal Officer at InterDigital, said:

"This decision serves as further proof of the strength of InterDigital's R&D in key technologies and of our patent portfolio overall."

"While we remain committed to licensing our patents through amicable negotiation and believe that is always more beneficial to both parties, we will not hesitate to use litigation in response to hold-out behaviour in order to obtain a fair return on our significant R&D investments."

Approximately 80 companies including Apple, Huawei, Samsung and Sharp have taken licenses to InterDigital's extensive portfolio of patented innovations in wireless and video technologies, which have resulted in more than 700 million licensed devices sold last year and over six billion licensed devices sold within the past decade.

Gowling WLG is a full-service firm comprising 1,500 professionals with strength across all areas of business law and litigation. With leading IP practices in Canada, China, the UAE, the UK and Europe, Russia and Singapore, and a network of trusted agents worldwide, the firm helps IP owners overcome complex obstacles and optimize new opportunities - wherever business takes them.

Learn more about Gowling WLG's global IP team.