Lenovo sues Asus for patent infringement and demands a ZenBook ban

On Tuesday, Lenovo, a Chinese computer manufacturer, revealed that it has filed a lawsuit against Asus, a Taiwanese manufacturer, for patent infringement in numerous products involving software, hardware, and networking.

Lenovo stated in a news release that the action was taken in reaction to Asus's August 2023 filings in the Regional Court of Munich concerning cellular technologies. As a remedy, the Chinese conglomerate said that it had offered Asus a cross-licensing agreement.

The Regional Court of Munich is Germany's busiest patent tribunal, frequently hearing mobile communication patent issues. It has even released rules on FRAND - the Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory licencing framework commonly applied to standards-essential patents (SEPs).

Mulgrew referred to litigation as a "last resort" - a resort at which Lenovo has reserved a room, spread out its towel on a comfy-looking banana chair, and instructed staff to continue sending fruity drinks with a tiny umbrella on top for the foreseeable future.

In a statement filed with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), Lenovo claimed it seeks a limited exclusion order preventing accused products from entering the US. Laptops, notebooks, 2-in-1 tablet computers, tablets, desktop PCs, tower PCs, workstations, routers, and components that infringe on four separate patents are among the devices under question.

Products such as the Asus Zenbook Pro and Flip 14 with its 360° ErgoLift hinge are among the offenders.

Lenovo claimed in its lawsuit that it "has suffered, and continues to suffer, immediate and irreparable harm as a result of Defendants' past and continuing infringement" and demanded that Asus "cease from marketing, advertising, distributing, offering for sale, selling, or otherwise transferring, including the movement or shipment of inventory" the infringing products.

Lenovo stated that no harm will befall US consumers if ASUS goods are prohibited. The Taiwanese company's minuscule position in the US PC market (2.9 per cent in Q2 2023) means consumers will be provided options. Perhaps even from Lenovo.

One of the four contested patents concerns improvements that reduce the number of steps - and thus overall delay - when transmitting an uplink package; a Wireless Wake-On-LAN Power Management technique; an invention that allows a user to initiate a diagonal scroll at any location by using two fingers; and a hinge block that enables the laptop to convert to a tablet.