Nokia wants US to block imports of Lenovo computers in patent dispute

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Lenovo, the world’s top computer seller, faces a legal challenge that could hit its sales efforts in the United States.

Nokia is asking the US International Trade Commission to block Lenovo from importing laptops, tablets and desktop machines in an ongoing dispute over patents.

Last fall, Nokia sued Lenovo alleging patent infringement in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

PC sales make up some $40 billion of Lenovo’s $50 billion in annual revenue. The US market has been among the fastest growing.

In the US, Lenovo maintains a 17% marketshare with nearly 2 million machines sold in the first quarter of 2020, according to research firm Garner. Globally Lenovo leads with a 24% market share and sales of more than 11 million PCs.

“Nokia claims Lenovo’s ThinkPad, IdeaPad and Flex line of computers infringe five patents related to the H.264 industry standard for video compression,” Bloomberg Law reported Thursday.

Nokia says the companies have been “unsuccessful” in negotiating a license to use the H.264 portfolio.

The company says Lenovo “has refused to meaningfully engage.”

In the 2019 suit, Nokia said Lenovo had infringed more than 20 patents and noted that numerous other tech firms had agreed to license its technology.

In that suit, Nokia also said Lenovo “refused to meaningfully engage in negotiations.”

Lenovo operates two global headquarters – in Morrisville and Beijing.