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The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) of China has ruled in favor of Huawei in a jurisdictional dispute with MediaTek, confirming that the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court (Guangzhou IP Court) has jurisdiction over two patent infringement lawsuits filed by Huawei in August 2024.
In two rulings published earlier this month on China Judgements Online, the SPC dismissed MediaTek’s appeal, which sought to transfer the case to the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, arguing that the Guangzhou court lacked jurisdiction. The SPC upheld the lower court’s decision, affirming that the Guangzhou IP Court was the proper venue for the lawsuits.
Huawei’s legal action involves claims that MediaTek, its affiliates, and the seller Suning.com infringed on two of its invention patents (ZL201710063709.X and ZL201811180240.9). MediaTek contended that the case should be heard by the Beijing IP Court, citing a lack of jurisdiction in Guangzhou.
However, the Guangzhou IP Court rejected this argument, finding that MediaTek failed to provide sufficient factual and legal grounds to support the transfer. MediaTek appealed the decision to the SPC, asserting that the case did not meet the criteria for “atypical necessary joint litigation,” as established by the first-instance court, and that it should not be consolidated without its consent.
Upon review, the SPC concluded that the lower court’s jurisdictional determination was correct and upheld the original ruling.
The SPC’s reasoning focused on two key issues: First, whether the evidence could establish Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, as a valid territorial jurisdictional connection point. Second, whether the case could be classified as a special necessary joint litigation.
1. Evidence for Territorial Jurisdictional Connection
Under China’s Civil Procedure Law and related provisions on patent disputes, patent infringement disputes are under the jurisdiction of the court at the location where the infringement occurred or where the defendant is domiciled.
Evidence provided by Huawei showed that the accused infringing MediaTek chip products were sold or offered for sale in Dongguan City, where the Guangzhou IP Court has jurisdiction over first-instance patent cases.
Therefore, the SPC agreed with the lower court’s determination that Dongguan City could be considered a valid territorial jurisdictional connection point, granting the Guangzhou IP Court territorial jurisdiction over the case.
2. Special Necessary Joint Litigation
The SPC also addressed the issue of “special necessary joint litigation.” Under Article 3 of the Supreme People's Court’s provisions on patent dispute cases, when both the manufacturer and the seller are sued as joint defendants, the court at the place of sale has jurisdiction.
In this case, Huawei sued both MediaTek, its affiliate, and Suning.com, the seller. The SPC ruled that this constituted a special necessary joint litigation, as both defendants were involved in the sale of the infringing products in Guangdong. Therefore, the Guangzhou IP Court lawfully retained jurisdiction over the case.
The SPC further noted that MediaTek’s position on the jurisdictional issue was inconsistent with its arguments in other ongoing litigation, weakening its appeal.
This ruling marks the first public update from Chinese courts on the progress of Huawei’s lawsuits against MediaTek since the legal actions began in mid-2024. The dispute has since expanded across multiple jurisdictions, including Germany and the UK.
According to relevant reports, Huawei has filed lawsuits against MediaTek in at least six different courts:
Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court (May 14, 2024) – Three lawsuits (two involving 4G and one involving 5G patents); jurisdiction appeal dismissed by the SPC.
Shanghai IP Court (Aug 16, 2024) – Based on three 5G patents.
Beijing IP Court (Aug 19, 2024) – Involving additional patent claims.
Guangzhou IP Court (Aug 20, 2024) – Two 5G standard-essential patents; jurisdiction appeal dismissed by SPC.
Hangzhou Court (Aug 21, 2024) – Two 5G standard-essential patents.
Munich UPC Court (Mar 24, 2025) – At least three European patents.
Meanwhile, MediaTek has initiated its own legal actions against Huawei, filing patent infringement lawsuits and an antitrust complaint in multiple jurisdictions, including:
Shenzhen, Zhengzhou, and Hangzhou (July 12, 2024) – Involving 4G and 5G patents, seeking injunctions.
Munich District Court and the UK High Court (July 12, 2024) – Infringement lawsuits.
Beijing Court (July 12, 2024) – Antitrust complaint against Huawei.
The ongoing legal battle between Huawei and MediaTek continues to unfold across multiple courts, with significant implications for both companies’ patent portfolios and the global telecommunications industry.
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