EU Launches WTO Dispute Against China Over Telecom Patents

EU Launches WTO Dispute Against China Over Telecom Patents
A logo is pictured on the World Trade Organization (WTO) building, in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 15, 2021. Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Reuters
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BRUSSELS—The European Union launched a legal challenge against China at the World Trade Organization on Friday, arguing that Chinese courts were preventing European companies from protecting their telecom technology patents.

The European Commission, which filed the challenge on behalf of the EU’s 27 members, said EU companies were being deterred from going to a foreign court to safeguard their standard-essential patents (SEPs).