"With the big patent stick in hand, foreign brands have imposed a heavy pressure on the development of the domestic camp of mobile phone manufacturers," Holleycomm said in an April 2007 .

The patent at issue, filed in 2002, is called "Methods and devices of CDMA/GSM dual-mode mobile communications," and refers to phones designed to support different mobile standards.

Local operator China United Communications Group used to run mobile networks based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). Dual-mode handsets allowed subscribers to use both networks, increasing the available coverage area.

Holleycomm's lawsuit demanded an end to the alleged patent infringement by Samsung and compensation for damages, which were not specified. The company also pledged to expand its suit to include other vendors.

"This means Samsung won’t be the last to be prosecuted for the infringement of the dual-mode patent of Holleycomm," the company said last year.