Lenovo disagrees with the UK Court’s decision not to declare an interim FRAND license, which is contrary to the principles in the UK Court of Appeal in Panasonic v Xiaomi, and intends to appeal.
Today’s decision is just one of a number of cases around the world in an ongoing campaign by Ericsson. For example, Friday’s Initial Determination by the International Trade Commission (ITC) was a significant result for Lenovo where the ITC found Ericsson’s asserted patents invalid, defeating Ericsson’s attempts to ban Lenovo from selling its products in the US.
Lenovo has always been willing to license valid technology used by its products and services at fair and reasonable rates. Despite this Ericsson continues its un-FRAND behavior by seeking exclusion orders and enforcing injunctions around the globe and refuses to recognize the value of Lenovo’s patent portfolio to which Ericsson admits it needs a license. Conversely, Lenovo has provided a full and unconditional undertaking to accept the outcome of the UK Court’s FRAND license determination at the April 2025 trial. Ericsson’s behavior is disrupting the Court‘s objective FRAND determination and depriving Lenovo of having a competent tribunal assess what is fair and reasonable.
Lenovo invites Ericsson to engage in more productive resolution mechanisms going forward and now looks forward to the UK Court deciding the scope of Motorola Mobility’s existing cross license with Ericsson at trial in January 2025 and setting the terms for a FRAND cross license at the April 2025 FRAND trial.
