Chinese technology giant Huawei has filed two lawsuits against US telecoms company Verizon on Thursday for patent infringement.
In the lawsuit, Huawei is seeking compensation from Verizon for alleged patent infringement of its optical transmission, digital communications and related services.
Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer and a leading smartphone brand, has a very limited presence in the US because it has been prohibited by the government from supplying core equipment to major US carriers for years.
The Chines firm claims that Verizon does not have cross-license agreements for the telecommunications equipment it bought from other vendors that uses its technology.
In a press release, Huawei chief legal officer Song Liuping said: "For years now we have successfully negotiated patent license agreements with many companies."
"This is the common practice in the industry. Huawei is simply asking that Verizon respect Huawei's investment in research and development by either paying for the use of our patents, or refraining from using them in its products and services," he explained.
The lawsuits, which did not specify the amount Huawei is seeking from Verizon, are part of the tech firm's strategy to combat the US government's pressure campaign against it. US officials are maintaining its position that the company poses a threat to national security.
Last March, Huawei sued the US government over a law that banned federal agencies from buying its products and in December, it sued the US government again over new restrictions from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Other measures the Chinese company has taken include Huawei executives publishing op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, arguing that the company is "not a tool of the Chinese government."
Open Secrets, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, reported thatdigital comm Huawei has dramatically increased its spending on Washington lobbyists from $165,000 in 2018 to nearly $3 million last year.
