Fingerprint sensor designer Egis Technology Inc (神盾) yesterday said that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit with Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court against Chinese rival Goodix Technology Inc (匯頂) in a renewed legal battle.
Egis in a statement said that Goodix has infringed on its property rights by using its patent in the manufacturing and sales of fingerprint products without Egis’ permission.
The company has requested the court to immediately stop Goodix’s practice and destroy all problematic products. It is also seeking 90 million yuan (US$13.24 million) in damages, the statement said.
Egis chief operating officer and chief technology officer Todd Lin (林功藝) confirmed the lawsuit, saying on the sidelines of an industry event in Taipei that Goodix has infringed upon Egis’ optical fingerprint patent and algorithm.
Egis said that it has allocated significant resources to develop new technology and products.
Based on its annual report, the company last year spent about 20 percent of its total revenue on research and development in a bid to offer competitive fingerprint sensors used in mobile devices and other electronics.
The company, which counts Samsung Electronics Co as its biggest client, has been expanding its presence in the Chinese market and has gained more Chinese customers, including supplying fingerprint sensors for Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) premium and 5G phones.
The lawsuit is the latest legal dispute between Egis and Goodix.
Shenzhen-based Goodix is a subsidiary of MediaTek Inc (聯發科) and the world’s largest fingerprint sensor supplier.
It filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court in July last year, alleging that Egis contravened intellectual property rights by using its patent to make optical fingerprint sensors that are incorporated under displays of mobile phones.
The court in February ruled that the patent was invalid and overruled Goodix’s complaint in March.
MediaTek, Taiwan’s biggest handset chip designer, has said that it plans to reduce its stake in Goodix from 9.29 percent to 7.29 percent between July 10 and Jan. 5 next year.
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