Chongqing First Intermediate People's Court rules in ZTE v. Samsung standard essential patent case: Samsung to pay $731 million in license fees

Recently, the Chongqing First Intermediate People's Court issued a first-instance civil judgment in the standard essential patent licensing dispute brought by the plaintiffs ZTE Corporation (hereinafter "ZTE") and its Chongqing branch against the defendants Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Samsung Electronics"), among others.

The court ultimately ruled in full to support the claims of the plaintiff ZTE, lawfully determined a full set of global cross-licensing terms consistent with the FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non‑discriminatory) principle, and ordered Samsung Electronics to pay ZTE a net license fee of up to US$731 million in a single lump sum. This case represents another major breakthrough in the substantive resolution of international parallel litigation and the establishment of global FRAND licensing terms by Chinese judicial authorities in foreign‑related commercial adjudication, further enhancing the voice and influence of Chinese courts in SEP disputes.

【Attachment】Original text of the first‑instance judgment (2024) Yu 01 Min Chu No. 905