U.S. Aims to Block Huawei from Seeking Patent Damages

Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator (R-FL), filed legislation on Monday that would prevent Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from seeking damages in U.S. patent courts. The legislation is an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a comprehensive bill determining policy for spending by the Department of Defense. This comes after the Chinese firm demanded that Verizon Communications Inc. pay $1 billion to license the rights to patented technology. Marco Rubio is one of the more authoritative voices on foreign policy within the Republican party.

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Reuters reported that Huawei wanted Verizon to pay licensing fees for over 230 patents, which would incur total costs in excess of $1 billion. The amendment proposed by Senator Rubio stipulates that any company on a government watchlist cannot seek relief under U.S. patent law, including pursuing legal action regarding patent infringement. The amendment is yet to become a law, but shows an ongoing belligerence between the United States government and Huawei.

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