Goodix Accuses Egis of Fingerprint Sensor Patent Infringement

“The accusation specifically concerns Goodix’s In-display Fingerprint Sensor, which was released in 2017 and has since been integrated into more than 50 smartphone models, including Huawei’s P30 series and Vivo’s Nex S…”

Goodix Technology has accused Egis Technology of patent infringement, filing a complaint with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court to settle the matter. Goodix is asking for ¥50.5 million (about $7.3 million) in compensation, and for Egis to cease its use of Goodix technology and cover any legal fees related to the case.

The accusation specifically concerns Goodix’s In-display Fingerprint Sensor, which was released in 2017 and has since been integrated into more than 50 smartphone models, including Huawei’s P30 series and Vivo’s Nex S. Goodix holds 50 patents for the technology in its Fingerprint Sensor (based on 760 patent filings), although it did not indicate which one was the subject of the complaint. The Chinese tech giant simply alleges that Egis has infringed on a patent that details essential features and functions of the sensor.

Goodix has itself been accused of patent infringement in the recent past. Fingerprint Cards filed a complaint with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court back in September, alleging that Goodix infringed on technology in FPC’s fingerprint sensing chips. In its response, Goodix claimed that FPC’s allegations were overstated.

The complaint against Egis will give Goodix the opportunity to sit on the other side of the table. Egis will presumably have some form of response, but it’s unlikely the complaint will reach a resolution anytime soon.

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July 19, 2019 – by Eric Weiss