Qualcomm has taken its first shot against Chinese semiconductor manufacturers. An official complaint has been put to Chinese courts alleging that Meizu isn't paying royalties on patents that Qualcomm owns for 3G and 4G communication standards.

Qualcomm's press release mentions that it had tried to negotiate "extensively" and "in good faith" with Meizu to no avail - an agreement that Qualcomm claims "more than 100 other companies have already accepted."

"Although Qualcomm would have preferred to reach a resolution with Meizu without the need for litigation, Meizu, unfortunately, has been unwilling to negotiate in good faith and enter into a license agreement on the rectification plan terms while unfairly expanding its business through the use of Qualcomm’s innovations without compensating Qualcomm for the use of Qualcomm’s valuable technologies."

This isn't the first time Meizu has seen the inside of a courtroom: the 2007 release of its first smartphone - the Meizu M8 - saw the company enter a legal battle with Apple who alleged that Meizu had copied its design, eventually leading to Meizu stopping production of the M8.

Qualcomm has been the subject of controversy in recent times after receiving an almost $1bn fine from Chinese courts for antitrust violations, with similar antitrust violations found to be happening in Europe not too long after that.

Source: Qualcomm