Transsion Challenges Six Ericsson and InterDigital Patents in China; Xiaomi Challenges Dolby Over One HEVC Patent?
June 1, 2026
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has recently updated a series of new records on patent invalidation records, including five challenges filed by Transsion against Chinese patents held by Ericsson, as well as one additional challenge against a patent owned by InterDigital. The six cases are scheduled to hold their oral hearings starting from July 1, 2026.
PRIP reviewed the European family patents of the six Chinese patents; none have been used by Ericsson or InterDigital to sue Transsion in Europe. Hence Transsion’s Chinese invalidation moves are not aimed at providing proof for UPC cases. Historical industry experience also suggests that challenging Chinese patents to validate the stability of European patents is not a viable litigation tactic in practice.
Transsion’s entire patent strategy against Ericsson and InterDigital has pivoted dramatically after settling litigation with Huawei and joining the HEVC patent pool. After halting new licensing deal sign-offs, the firm’s financial performance rebounded notably in Q1 2026, posting total operating revenue of RMB 16.2 billion (USD 2.2405 billion) and a net profit of RMB 700 million (USD 96.81 million). Apple’s Q1 revenue hit USD 143.756 billion with USD 42.097 billion; Apple’s revenue is about 64.16 times Transsion’s, while its net profit is around 434.84 times Transsion’s.
I wonder how big the royalty gap is between Apple and Transsion for Ericsson and InterDigital’s licensing fees – is the difference as much as 64 times? This may explain why collecting patent royalties tends to prove far more difficult from smaller, less profitable licensees.
In addition, CNIPA has released oral hearing details for another HEVC patent invalidation case filed by Xiaomi against Dolby, scheduled for June 12, 2026. Originally owned by GE Video, the patent was previously challenged by Xiaomi during its litigation with GE back in 2022. Curiously, Xiaomi joined the HEVC patent pool last year, making the newly filed invalidation petition highly anomalous. It may be a CNIPA administrative data error, yet such administrative errors happen infrequently.
