The networking company Cisco Systems has filed a lawsuit against China's largest telecom-equipment company, alleging software piracy.

The Californian tech giant filed the lawsuit in Texas against Huawei Technologies, which it accuses of copying its operating software.

We value strong competition, but copying isn't competition Mark Chandler Cisco

Cisco also alleged that Huawei copied its documents and other copyrighted materials, and infringed several company patents.

Huawei has declined to comment on Cisco's specific charges.

"All along Huawei has respected intellectual property rights," said Huawei spokeswoman Wendy Wu.

"As Cisco has filed a lawsuit, now we are working with legal advisers to resolve the matter."

Level playing field?

Cisco is hoping to win an injunction to prevent Huawei from selling or distributing versions of its routers and servers.

It is also seeking financial damages.

"We value strong competition, but copying isn't competition," said Mark Chandler, Cisco's vice president.

"We have a responsibility to protect our product and materials from unlawful copying and to make sure there's a level playing field for fair competition."

Piracy worries

In recent years piracy of intellectual copyright has been a key concern in China and other Asian countries.

There have been some developments in Chinese legislation to improve copyright protection, but experts believe there is still some way to go.

However, only this week the Danish toy-maker Lego Company won a landmark court ruling in China to protect its copyright against fake versions of its famous brick-shaped toys.

Cisco's equipment drives internet traffic.

Most of Huawei's sales are in the telecom sector, but it wants to increase its corporate business and go head-to-head with Cisco.