Guangdong smart phone manufacturer Huawei has recently been issued an injunction in the U.K

Guangdong smart phone manufacturer Huawei has recently been issued an injunction in the U.K. after losing a legal battle against Unwired Planet International (UPI) over a patent dispute. The Chinese mobile phone giant is now facing a temporary ban on smart phone sales in the region

According to the England and Wales High Court, the injunction requires Huawei to pay a license fee of 2.9 million pounds ($3.7 million) to UPI in order to lift the ban. On June 13, Huawei responded that the company is still assessing this judgment, though it believes that the judgment will not bring any negative effects to its business in the U.K. and other countries

The ban is not likely to be lifted before Huawei signs an official agreement with UPI, even if Huawei lodges an appeal, said Li Junhui, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Research Center of China University of Political Science and Law. If the U.K. occupies an important position in the European market for Huawei, then the time left for the company is not sufficient, Li added

The dispute between Huawei and UPI began in 2014 when the latter filed a lawsuit against Huawei, Google and Samsung in the U.K., claiming that all three infringed on six of its patents. Google and Samsung both reached settlements with UPI in 2015 and 2016 respectively. However, Huawei refused to do so and even filed a counterclaim, accusing UPI of abusing its intellectual property. The counterclaim was eventually rejected

According to the judgment, Huawei should pay 25 percent of the patent fee demanded by UPI in the U.K. market. Li noted that if Huawei can reach an agreement and cooperate with UPI, its sales ban will be lifted