Huawei asks Verizon to pay over USD 1 billion for over 230 patents

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has told Verizon Communications Inc that the US carrier should pay licensing fees for more than 230 of the Chinese telecoms equipment maker’s patents and in aggregate is seeking more than USD 1 billion, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

Verizon should pay to “solve the patent licensing issue,” a Huawei intellectual property licensing executive wrote in February, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier. The patents cover network equipment for more than 20 of the company’s vendors including major US tech firms but those vendors would indemnify Verizon, the person said. Some of those firms have been approached directly by Huawei, the person said.