American multinational chip maker Qualcomm announced on Thursday that it has filed a total of 17 patent infringement cases against Chinese smartphone maker Meizu Technology Co.

The patent infringement complaints were filed by Qualcomm in Beijing and Shanghai on Thursday. This is the second time this week that the company has taken legal action against Meizu.

Like Us on Facebook

Qualcomm claims that despite negotiating in good faith, one of the top 10 smartphone suppliers in China has refused to sign a patent license agreement, which over 100 other Chinese companies have already signed with the San Diego-based firm.

"Meizu is attempting to obtain an unfair and improper cost advantage over its competitors," Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's general counsel told Reuters in an e-mailed statement.

The latest 17 patent cases filed against Meizu pertain to a number of features used in smartphones including those related to its 3G (WCDMA and CDMA2000) and 4G (LTE) wireless communications standards.

Experts say the move shows that Qualcomm is attempting to protect its licensing business, where most of its revenues come from.

In a statement released last week, Rosenberg said Qualcomm is "asking the court to assist... and get them in compliance" because "Meizu is choosing to use [Qualcomm's] technologies without a license, which is not only unlawful, but is unfair to other licensees that are acting in good faith and respectful of patent rights."

TagsQualcomm, Meizu, smartphone maker, china, Beijing's antitrust law, copyright cases, copyright infringement