Swedish manufacturer of telecommunications equipment Ericsson sued the French-Chinese developer of smartphones Wiko, accusing him of violating patents.

According to a complaint filed with two regional courts in Germany, Wiko illegally used Ericsson's 2G, 3G and 4G communications technologies without making any royalties. The companies negotiated a patent transaction in 2013, but it did not work out at that time.

Reuters notes that Ericsson has previously sued several major smartphone manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and Apple. With these companies, Ericsson entered into settlement agreements in 2014-2015.

Now the European telecommunications giant is suing the Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL.

Ericsson's intellectual property portfolio includes more than 42,000 patents registered worldwide and related to cellular technology. The licensing business brings the company about SEK 7 billion ($ 867 million) in revenue each year.

Wiko, which develops mobile phones, is headquartered in France, but most of the company's shares belong to the Chinese technology group Tinno Mobile.