Samsung sues Huawei over patent infringement

Samsung Electronics has sued Huawei Technologies for patent infringements through multiple courts in China, escalating a legal conflict between the smartphone rivals.

The South Korean firm sued Huawei in a Beijing court about two weeks ago for allegedly infringing six of its patents, a spokeswoman said.

She did not elaborate on the types of patents or the other Chinese courts involved.

"Despite our best efforts to resolve this matter amicably, it has regrettably become necessary to take legal action in order to defend our intellectual property," Samsung said in a statement.

Huawei representatives were not immediately available to comment.

Huawei sued Samsung in May in the United States and China, accusing its rival of infringement on patents for 4G cellular communications technology, operating systems and user interface software.

More to come