Huawei Wins Temporary Court Order In Motorola Case

Huawei sued to block a proposed Motorola business unit sale to Nokia Siemens Networks, demanding that the $1.2 billion transaction be altered to avoid the transfer of trade secrets or the infringement of intellectual property rights. The defendants include Motorola Solutions Inc, which holds the network equipment unit being sold; and Motorola Mobility, which makes phones and set-top boxes, and holds Huawei intellectual property related to network technology. Motorola Mobility was split from the rest of Motorola on Jan. 4. Motorola declined comment and a Huawei spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

In her order, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in Chicago told the defendants to give the court notice of any actions being taken by China’s antitrust regulator, which is currently reviewing Nokia Siemens’ proposed purchase of the Motorola assets. Nokia Siemens has said that the China review had delayed the closing of the deal, which is expected this quarter. The judge also ordered Huawei and the Motorola defendants to propose a protective order within 24 hours. Nokia Siemens is a venture of Finland’s Nokia Oyj and Germany’s Siemens AG. The case is Huawei Technologies Co v. Motorola Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 11-00497.