HUAWEI files lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce

The back and forth between Huawei and the U.S. government continues with the former suing the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bloomberg reported today. The company is suing the agency over telecommunications equipment seized by American officials.

According to the lawsuit, HUAWEI sent the equipment to a California lab in July 2017. American officials then seized the equipment in Alaska to see whether an export license was required. The equipment was on its way back to China, the lawsuit stated.

HUAWEI reportedly provided officials with all requested information. The lawsuit alleged there was no export license requirement at the time of the equipment seizure.

“Defendants have neither made a licensing determination for the equipment nor even indicated” when the decision will be made. The lawsuit also claimed American officials “simply left the equipment in limbo.”

Filed today in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the lawsuit also names the Bureau of Industry and the Office of Export Enforcement. HUAWEI already has an ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. government over claims of the company being a security risk.

Since HUAWEI’s placement on the Entity List, things have been tumultuous for the company, to say the least. Even though the Department of Commerce granted HUAWEI a 90-day reprieve, companies and organizations distanced themselves from HUAWEI. Unfortunately for the company, it’s expecting a sharp drop in international sales due to the ban.

In response, HUAWEI is reportedly working on an Android alternative called Oak OS. The company is also reportedly looking into a Russian fork of Sailfish OS for its Android alternative. Regardless of the software choice, HUAWEI reportedly plans to release Android Q and its next flagship smartphone later this year.

Android Authority reached out to HUAWEI for clarification, but didn’t receive a response by press time.