NEW YORK: A US criminal investigation into allegations that China's ZTE Corp sold banned US computer products to Iran has spilled into a civil dispute with a New York-based patent licensing firm, as ZTE has refused to make one of its top executives available for questioning over fears he will be arrested.
On Aug 11, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan rejected ZTE's request that he show "mercy" and reconsider his order compelling the company's general counsel, Guo Xiaoming, to appear in New York for a deposition in a breach of contract lawsuit with Vringo, Inc.