Eltek, a leader in high efficiency power systems for telecommunications, industrial applications and renewable energy projects, announced that ZTE Norway AS, a subsidiary of ZTE Corporation, has stated it will halt all sales and marketing of disputed products in Norway. This follows a legal dispute in which Eltek initiated legal action against ZTE in the Norwegian legal system, claiming patent infringement. The patent infringement issue is also under consideration at the European Patent Office.
The ZTE sales and marketing halt was confirmed in a recent ruling by the Oslo district court (“tingrett”), which put the legal process on hold pending a ruling from the European Patent Office.
In the district court ruling, ZTE’s legal counsel was quoted as saying that “ZTE will not market any solution in conflict with the patent as long as it is valid.” This assurance was included as a major reason for postponing the proceedings until the European Patent Office has given its ruling.
“We are confident that we have a strong case and are very much looking forward to having it concluded in court. That said, given ZTE’s assurance we have achieved protection of our intellectual property until this matter is properly settled,” commented Morten Schøyen, chief marketing officer at Eltek. “The disputed technology represents major research and development within Eltek’s core business. We have vigorously defended our intellectual property, and I can assure all competitors that we will continue to do so in the future,” Schøyen said.
