ZTE and Samsung have terminated their litigation at the Unified Patent Court’s (UPC) Mannheim local division, effectively bringing an end to one of the most prominent FRAND disputes in recent years. The court’s approval of the mutual withdrawal of two cases implies that the mobile phone manufacturers have likely reached a settlement in their long-standing global dispute over standard-essential patents for 4G and 5G technology.
Proceedings come to a close
Judge-rapporteur Tobias Sender has formally closed the proceedings in the two parallel UPC cases. Although the decisions do not explicitly confirm a settlement, the withdrawal of cases on this scale, without any cost applications, typically suggests that the parties have resolved their dispute through out-of-court negotiations. Additionally, parallel proceedings were pending at the Regional Court Munich, in the UK, and in China. According to research by JUVE Patent, the cases at the Regional Court Munich have also been withdrawn, pending official confirmation from the court.
The withdrawals likely mark the end of a global patent battle that commenced in late 2024, following the expiration of an existing license agreement between ZTE and Samsung. Initially, Samsung filed a lawsuit at the UK High Court in December 2024, seeking to establish a FRAND rate for ZTE’s global cellular portfolio. The Korean company also filed a contract formation claim related to FRAND terms at the Frankfurt Regional Court.
In response, ZTE initiated patent infringement actions in China, Germany, and at the UPC, while Samsung countered with its own UPC actions in Mannheim. The parties also sued each other at the Munich Regional Court, with cases pending before the 7th and 21st Civil Chambers, as well as in Brazil and the US.
Mixed outcomes in patent cases
Prior decisions in the case had yielded mixed results. In April 2026, the Mannheim local division revoked ZTE’s EP 3 905 730 patent due to added matter and dismissed the corresponding infringement action. In the parallel proceedings concerning Samsung’s EP 4 096 288 patent, the EPO Opposition Division had revoked the patent, prompting the Mannheim panel to suspend the infringement case. At the Munich Regional Court, the 7th Civil Chamber granted ZTE an injunction over EP 2 654 356 in April 2026, with the court, presided over by Oliver Schön, establishing a new approach to FRAND proceedings. The 21st Civil Chamber either dismissed or suspended Samsung’s and ZTE’s further national actions.
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FRAND rulings in multiple jurisdictions
A major focus of the conflict involved simultaneous FRAND licensing negotiations in the UK and China. UK Judge Richard Meade established a $392 million payment for Samsung’s use of ZTE’s global patents in spring 2026, a figure between the companies’ proposed amounts. On the same day, China’s Chongqing First Intermediate People’s Court ruled that ZTE’s pricing proposal aligned with FRAND standards.
Meade’s judgment drew notice for his critique of the ‘broken system’ resulting from the ETSI rules’ lack of dispute resolution. The Mannheim division also stepped aside on Samsung’s FRAND counterclaim, deferring to the earlier-seized Frankfurt Regional Court, which had already dismissed Samsung’s separate antitrust complaint against ZTE in February 2025. The dispute also included Samsung securing—and ZTE contesting—a temporary license from the UK High Court, alongside Samsung’s later withdrawn ETSI complaint against ZTE under clause 8.2 of the ETSI IPR Policy.
Legal teams involved
ZTE relies on the expertise of core advisors Taliens and Vossius & Partner. Each firm handled active and passive cases at the UPC and Munich Regional Court, while cooperating on all FRAND-related matters. Taliens led the national cases at the 7th Civil Chamber, while Vossius was in charge of the proceedings at the 21st Civil Chamber. The Vossius team includes litigation partner Georg Rauh, as well as lawyers Zhuomin Wu and Roman Scheibe. Vossius patent attorneys Christian Sandweg, Thomas Schwarze, and Ingo Lummer were involved in all German and UPC cases, handling the technical aspects of the proceedings. At the UPC, Jonathan Santman of Brinkhof was also part of the team from the alliance Vossius Brinkhof UPC Litigators.
ZTE’s legal team in this matter included lead partner Thomas Lynker, alongside Christian Werner, Thomas Reithmann, and Evelyn Höfer. During Frankfurt Regional Court proceedings, Monika Stöhr supported Lynker. In London, Powell Gilbert, led by Ari Laakkonen, represented ZTE, while antitrust specialists from Commeo handled the Frankfurt case. Juliane Buchinski managed the global litigation effort internally at ZTE.
Samsung engaged two outside law firms in Germany and one at the UPC. Hetti Hilge from Düsseldorf’s Rospatt led the defense in Mannheim, with partners Thomas Musmann and André Sabellek assisting. A&O Shearman, spearheaded by Munich partners Jan Ebersohl and Denise Benz, handled Samsung’s response to ZTE’s infringement claims. In London, Nicola Dagg of Kirkland & Ellis oversaw Samsung’s worldwide litigation strategy. Patent specialist Joel Nägerl from Zimmermann & Partner provided technical guidance throughout the cases.
