Motorola Solutions obtains German injunctions against Hytera
Motorola Solutions, a telecoms equipment provider, has secured injunctions against Chinese rival Hytera Communications in a patent infringement dispute.
According to a Motorola announcement on Tuesday, November 20, the Regional Court of Düsseldorf found that Hytera’s two-way digital mobile radio (DMR) subscriber radios infringe European patent (EP) 2,342,851B1.
Motorola said Hytera’s products use the so-called pseudo-trunking functionality in time-division multiple access (TDMA) direct mode. TDMA allows several users to share the same frequency channel by dividing the signal into different time slots, while pseudo-trunking centres on network expansion.
The Regional Court granted one injunction to prevent Hytera from offering the patented method in Germany, while the second order stops the Chinese company from offering and delivering products capable of performing the patented method in the country.
Additionally, the court held Hytera liable for damages, said the release, adding that: “While the current judgments may be appealed by Hytera, they are immediately enforceable upon posting of a required security by Motorola Solutions, which is expected to be completed in short order.”
The ruling applies to both Hytera and its German subsidiary, going a step further than a previous judgment in a related case. In July, the Regional Court of Mannheim granted an injunction only against the subsidiary after finding that it had infringed EP 1,139,562, which covers technology that improves the audio performance in two-way handheld radios and car radios.
Mark Hacker, general counsel and chief administrative officer of Motorola, said that, “significantly”, the latest ruling covers additional Hytera DMR subscribers “beyond those that were previously found to infringe our patented squelch technology in an earlier judgment”.
The decision is just the latest development in what has become a global IP dispute between Motorola and Hytera. On November 16, the US International Trade Commission issued a notice of final determination that some of the Chinese company’s products infringe Motorola patents, but that Hytera’s new-generation i-Series devices do not infringe the patents and can continue to be imported and sold in the US.
Motorola confirmed that its patent infringement, copyright infringement and trade secret theft lawsuits against Hytera are still pending in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Federal Court of Australia.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.
Today's top stories
EU court deposits decision on banking trademark
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk