A new patent infringement lawsuit in China and Brazil has been filed against Comba Telecom Systems Ltd and its affiliates by CommScope, Inc through its Andrew LLC subsidiary. The legal actions focus on Comba’s alleged infringement of the CommScope patents regarding remote electrical tilt (RET) technology, which is used for base station antennas in wireless networks.
CommScope’s patented RET system allows for cost-effective and ongoing beam adjustment of the variable electrical downtilt of base station antennas. This helps to enhance the capacity, quality and coverage of mobile networks. CommScope is said to have a vast array of patents in its patent portfolio. According to CommScope, these valuable intellectual property assets are the result of years of hard work and financial investments in research and development. CommScope’s patents are the essence of the company, and patent protection continues to be a high priority for them. So far, CommScope has licensed its patented RET technology to over ten companies in the communications industry.
In China, CommScope has filed patent lawsuits against numerous Comba entities in the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. The lawsuits allege that Comba’s sale and manufacture of RET antennas infringe at least two of CommScope’s Chinese patents. In Brazil, CommScope has sought a criminal search and seizure at Comba’s offices in Barueri, Sao Paulo. The request is based on evidence that Comba Ind e Com de Equipamentos de Telecomunicacoes Ltda was infringing on Brazilian patents that CommScope owns under its Andrew LLC subsidiary.
The request was eventually authorized by Barueri’s judicial authorities. Then on May 19, several of Comba’s RET antennas were apprehended, as well as relevant documents related to their sales figures. CommScope fully believes that the seized products infringe its Brazilian patents. In both the Chinese and Brazilian lawsuits, CommScope is seeking an injunction and past damages for Comba’s infringement.
