Huawei rings another win in patent battle against Samsung

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd scored another point in its patent fight with its rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in China, which may weigh down on the South Korean company's business in the world's largest smartphone arena.

The Patent Reexamination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office said on its official website that the patents involved in Huawei's lawsuit against Samsung's units in China are valid.

The move came shortly after a Chinese court ordered Samsung's Chinese subsidiaries to pay 80 million yuan ($11.6 million) to Huawei for patent infringement.

Huawei filed a lawsuit against Samsung's two units in China, one in Huizhou in Guangdong province and the other in Tianjin, as well as against Samsung China Investment Co Ltd and two Fujian-based electronics companies, claiming that more than 20 models of Samsung smartphones and tablet products, including the flagship Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, have infringed its patents.

Samsung filed requests with the Patent Reexamination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office in July, 2016, seeking invalidation of several involved patents.