Xiaomi hit by patent troll lawsuit filed in Texas
Obscure plaintiff sues 45 firms in only 15 days
Xiaomi is now recognized as one of the fastest growing tech companies in Asia and has set its sights on seizing a larger share of the U.S. tech market after receiving certification for a number of its devices from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Xiaomi might be able to finally penetrate into the U.S. tech market in 2016, Android Headlines reported. CEO, Lei Jun is confident of this now that Xiaomi devices have been certified by the FCC.
Xiaomi currently only sells its accessories in the U.S. Sadly, its budget-friendly, yet high end smartphones aren’t on U.S. store shelves. The very first Xiaomi smartphone to be sold in the U.S. is expected to be the upcoming Mi 5.
Xiaomi, however, is facing a really rough ride as it seeks entry into the lucrative U.S. market. A U.S.-based company named Blue Spike LLC has just sued Xiaomi in a Texas court, claiming the Chinese firm infringed U.S. patent 8,930,719 B2 otherwise known as the "Data Protection Method and Device”.
Blue Spike claims, Xiaomi used this patent illegally in its flagship devices, namely the Mi 4, Mi 4 LTE, Mi 4I, Mi 4C, Mi 5, Mi 5 Plus, Mi Note Plus, Redmi 1S, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 2A and Redmi Note 2.
Surprisingly, Blue Spike also included the Mi 5 and the Mi 5 Plus. These are two mobile devices Xiaomi hasn’t even announced yet, said Android Headlines. Mi 5 is to launch sometime in January 2016. On the other hand, the Mi 5 Plus is going to be a much bigger counterpart of the Mi 5.
Blue Spike, a company that apparently has no clients or products, has filed several lawsuits against other companies before. Among the companies it’s sued are Facebook and Google. The lack of any legitimate business activity by Blue Spike led GSM Arena to conclude the lawsuit against Xiaomi is nothing more than a patent troll.
That conclusion is bolstered by news Blue Spike filed patent infringement lawsuits against 45 companies in only 15 days.
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