Lawsuit: TP-Link accuses Netgear of smear campaign regarding China connections
TP-Link was founded in China, and due to its connections to the People's Republic, the company is under scrutiny in the USA. Netgear is said to be to blame.
(Image: Evgeny Ostroushko/Shutterstock.com)
Router manufacturer TP-Link has filed a lawsuit against Netgear in the USA, accusing the competitor of initiating a smear campaign to deter customers. This is reported by Bloomberg, which adds that TP-Link is complaining of financial losses amounting to well over a billion US dollars this year. TP-Link's connections to China have come under intense scrutiny from the US public in recent months, with a sales ban becoming increasingly likely. The company now accuses Netgear of being behind this and thus violating an agreement in a patent dispute, among other things. The lawsuit was filed in the US state of Delaware.
Damages sought
TP-Link accuses Netgear of using the presentation of its own financial figures to spread “untruths,” according to Bloomberg. Furthermore, the competitor allegedly passed on disinformation about TP-Link's connections to China to supposed computer experts and podcasters. In doing so, Netgear had only committed in 2024, in the course of settling a patent dispute, not to disparage the competitor. TP-Link is therefore now demanding not only measures to end the smear campaign in court but also damages for the losses incurred (Case No.: TP-Link Systems v. Netgear, 25-cv-1396).
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TP-Link was founded in China three decades ago but was later split. Although the group has since consisted of a US and a Chinese part, the California-based company still does a substantial part of its business in China. TP-Link routers are among the most widespread in the USA, but there is uncertainty about the exact market share. At the beginning of the year, the US Department of Justice initiated investigations to find out whether TP-Link had deliberately undercut competitors with predatory pricing to secure market shares and be able to raise prices once other manufacturers were driven out of the market. Due to alleged security risks, a sales ban now also threatens the routers.
(mho)
