Nokia, the world's biggest cellphone maker, has sued two
Chinese competitors in its first Chinese legal action alleging illegal product
copying, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
The Nokia logo on the door of the premises in
Helsinki, in June 2004. [AFP] |
A Beijing court on June 12 officially agreed to hear the case against two
cellphone makers based in the south China boomtown of Shenzhen, Shenzhen Telsda
Mobile Communication Industry Development Co. and Song Xun Da Zhong Ke
Electronic Shenzhen, said Nokia spokesman Thomas Jonsson.
He added Nokia would issue a statement regarding the case later in the day.
In the lawsuit, Nokia is asking the court to force the two manufacturers to
stop making and selling models that allegedly infringe on designs for its own
mid-range 7260 model. Nokia is also seeking 500,000 yuan ($62,500) in damages.
The lawsuit is Nokia's first in China related to product design, marking a
milestone for the Finnish giant in what has become company's single biggest
global market.
Foreign companies are turning increasingly to China's fledgling legal system
to protect their intellectual property and trademarks, as Beijing trys to
address one of the biggest complaints by foreign governments and multinationals
doing business there.
Retail giants from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Starbucks Corp. have filed
trademark lawsuits in China to protect their logos and names, and Intel
Corp. has also sued in the market to protect its intellectual property.
China became Nokia's single biggest market last year, when sales there passed
those in the United States.
China is the world's biggest mobile market, with more than 400 million
subscribers and about 100 million cellphones sold in the past year, according to
various industry data.
In a nod to China's importance, Nokia, the market's leading vendor, with
about 27 percent share, said in May it would invest about 50 million euros
(US$63 million) in a new Chinese headquarters.
