HUAWEI Technologies Co. has told Verizon Communications Inc. that the U.S. carrier should pay licensing fees for more than 230 of the Chinese telecom equipment maker’s patents and in aggregate is seeking more than US$1 billion, a person briefed on the matter said Wednesday.

Verizon should pay to “solve the patent licensing issue,” a Huawei intellectual property licensing executive wrote in February, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier. The patents cover network equipment for more than 20 of the company’s vendors including major U.S. tech firms but those vendors would indemnify Verizon, the person said. Some of those firms have been approached directly by Huawei, the person said.

The patents in question range from core network equipment, wireline infrastructure to Internet-of-things technology, the Journal reported. The licensing fees for the more than 230 patents sought is more than US$1 billion, the person said.

Huawei has been battling the U.S. Government for more than a year.

Firms involved, including Verizon, have notified the U.S. Government and the dispute comes amid a growing feud between China and the United States.

Huawei and Verizon representatives met in New York last week to discuss some of the patents at issue and whether Verizon is using equipment from other companies that could infringe on Huawei patents.

Verizon spokesman Rich Young declined to comment “regarding this specific issue because it’s a potential legal matter.” (SD-Agencies)