Huawei Prohibited From Enforcing Chinese Injunctions Against Standard Essential Patents

The court granted defendant Samsung's motion for an antisuit injunction prohibiting plaintiff Huawei from enforcing injunction orders issued by a Chinese court and found that the Chinese injunction orders would frustrate domestic policies. "⁠[Defendant] argues that allowing [plaintiffs] to enforce the Shenzhen Court’s injunction would frustrate specific domestic policies against injunctive relief on [standard essential patents] and general public policies against anticompetitive conduct and breaches of contract. The bulk of precedent supports its position. . . . There is a risk of inconsistent judgments if I were to find that [plaintiff] is not entitled to seek injunctive relief for its SEPs. In addition, in the absence of an antisuit injunction, [defendant] faces the risk of significant harm, not just in China, but with impacts percolating around the world. The Chinese injunctions would likely force it to accept [plaintiffs'] licensing terms, before any court has an opportunity to adjudicate the parties' breach of contract claims. Under these circumstances, the Shenzhen Order 'interfere[s] with 'equitable considerations' by compromising the court’s ability to reach a just result in the case before it free of external pressure on [Samsung] to enter into a 'holdup' settlement before the litigation is complete.'"

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. et al v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al, 3-16-cv-02787 (CAND April 13, 2018, Order) (Orrick, USDJ)