IAM included my client’s settlement with Xiaomi as one of the top ten IP stories of 2019!

​Today IAM Magazine listed my client’s recent settlement with Xiaomi as one of the top ten IP events of 2019!  The settlement involved high seven figures (in USD).

My firm and I filed six patent lawsuits in the Nanjing Intermediate Court for Advanced Codec Technologies’ (“ACT”) against Xiaomi in early 2019.  At issue were six standard-essential video compression patents.  

Why Is This Case Important?
1. As IAM points out, this is important because ACT is a Non-Practicing Entity (“NPE”). Given recent “the sky is falling” nonsense from the Big Infringement lobby, this is a big deal (but is fully indicative of the litigation market for NPEs and operating companies in China right now).

2. The patent owner is an American company litigating against a powerful Chinese company during the middle of the trade war between the US and China. 

3. The patents were standard-essential patents, which typically are more complex to litigate and require more time both pre- and post-filing in China (as well as worldwide).  

4.  All six patents are nearing their expiration date, which means that there was no threat of an injunction — this was about money damages only.
5. This is one of the largest patent litigation settlements in the history of China, and certainly the highest for an NPE.

This result says great things about the Chinese patent enforcement system, which over the past few years has emerged as a top patent litigation forum. Also working with me on the case from Dunlap, Bennett & Ludwig were partner Dragon Wang, senior associates Bing Wu and Tianqi Yu, and associates Yannan Li and Ada Liu.   

If anyone has any questions or would like to discuss the case, please email me at erobinson@dbllawyers.com.

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