Vringo Inc. (VRNG) has again expanded the scope of its patent-infringement lawsuit against ZTE Corp. (ZTCOY, 0763.HK, 000063.SZ) by filing in a French court.

Representatives of ZTE weren't immediately available for comment.

"This French suit is part of Vringo's global licensing and enforcement program," said David L. Cohen, head of licensing, litigation and intellectual property. "If ZTE does not agree to a license with us, then we will ask courts throughout the world for appropriate relief."

Vringo, a video-ringtone and intellectual-property firm, bolstered its intellectual-property business in August when it bought several hundred patents and patent applications from struggling cellphone company Nokia Corp. (NOK, NOK1V.HE) for $22 million.

The company sent a letter to ZTE in late September asking the Chinese telecommunications company to review whether it needs to license any of Vringo's recently acquired Nokia patents, warning that it could take legal action.

Vringo initially filed a lawsuit in October against ZTE's U.K. unit for alleged infringement of its patents for handsets, base stations and base station controllers. Vringo filed another suit in November against ZTE in Germany.

In November, Vringo was awarded about $30 million in damages and granted future royalties by a federal jury in its patent suit against a handful of technology giants, including Google Inc. (GOOG) and AOL Inc. (AOL). Vringo had sued the search companies for allegedly infringing two of its patents related to advertising placement in search results.

Shares were recently trading 9% higher at $3.45 premarket. The stock is up 11% this year.

Write to Melodie Warner at melodie.warner@dowjones.com

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