Targeted by investigation, Huawei denies patent theft in the United States

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Tuesday denied allegations of stolen patents from a Portuguese engineer in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened an investigation following the statements of this engineer, Rui Pedro Oliveira, who accuses Huawei of stealing the design of his smartphone camera, containing US patents, to make his own panoramic camera equipping his devices.

According to the WSJ, the Justice Department's investigation concerns Mr Oliveira's accusations but also other potential cases of intellectual property theft and recruitment of employees from his competitors.

"These accusations are false," said the group in a statement, which "categorically rejects the claims of Mr. Oliveira".

"For several months, the US government is trying to pressure other states to ban Huawei equipment. He also uses all the tools at his disposal to disrupt our business operations, "the group regrets.

"None of the charges brought by the US government have been proven so far. We strongly condemn the concerted efforts of the US government to discredit Huawei and reduce its leadership position in the telecom industry, the statement added.

While Huawei admits to having met Mr. Oliveira in 2014, he claims that his own camera, marketed in 2017, was "independently designed and developed by employees who did not have access" to information from his accuser.

The group also publishes a comparison of the objective designed by this engineer and his own objective to prove the difference between the two devices.

Huawei also accuses Mr. Oliveira of wanting to blackmail the group from April 2018, threatening to question the media if it does not pay him "an exorbitant amount."

"It is clear that Mr. Oliveira is trying to take advantage of the current geopolitical situation," insists the group, according to which there is no "rational justification" for the opening of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice .

Huawei was blacklisted in the United States by the Trump administration, which suspects him of spying for Beijing. It received a first reprieve of 90 days, extended the same period mid-August before it is forbidden to American companies to sell him equipment.

The United States has also repeatedly accused Chinese groups, including Huawei, of stealing patents, especially US, to accelerate their technological development, but without providing evidence.

The tensions around Huawei are part of a broader context of a trade war between the United States and China.