Ericsson sues Samsung for patent infringement

The exterior of Ericsson's headquarters are seen in Stockholm April 30, 2009.

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ericsson, the world's biggest telecom network equipment maker, said on Tuesday it had filed a suit in the United States against Samsung Electronics Co for patent infringement.

Sweden's Ericsson said in a statement it had sued after Samsung had not renewed a license to use unspecified technology on the same terms - called the Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms - that competitors have previously accepted.

"The dispute concerns both Ericsson's patented technology that is essential to several telecommunications and networking standards used by Samsung's products as well as other of Ericsson's patented inventions that are frequently implemented in wireless and consumer electronics products," it said.

A Samsung spokeswoman said the South Korean company, the world's largest cell phone and television maker, was looking into the report and had no immediate comment.

An Ericsson spokesman declined to comment on the size of the lawsuit.

Ericsson's intellectual property right net revenues amounted to 6.2 billion Swedish crowns in 2011.

The complaint is filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom)