Ericsson Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Samsung Electronics

Lawsuit Filed in US Texas Court Over Patent Infringement and Royalties
Renewed Dispute Over Patent Royalties After 6 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Telecommunications equipment company Ericsson has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, claiming patent infringement and demanding enforcement of royalty payments.

On the 4th (local time), according to Bloomberg and others, Ericsson submitted a complaint to the U.S. District Court in Texas, stating that Samsung's smartphones, tablet PCs, and TVs use its mobile communication patent technology, and demanded royalty payments from Samsung Electronics. Along with this, Ericsson also requested the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban the import of Samsung products.

Earlier, on the 10th of last month, Ericsson filed a patent fee lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, claiming that Samsung demanded low royalties. Ericsson argued that "Samsung Electronics violated the FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) principle." The FRAND principle means that patent fees related to standard patents should be calculated in a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory manner. Ericsson and Samsung Electronics had a dispute over the extension of their mutual patent usage agreement signed in 2014.

On December 7th last year, Samsung Electronics filed a lawsuit with the Wuhan court in China to determine the level of royalties for Ericsson's patents. Ericsson filed a lawsuit in the Texas court, which tends to issue rulings favorable to patent owners, while Samsung Electronics filed a lawsuit in China, which tends to assess patent value lower, to protect its domestic industry.

The patent royalty dispute between Samsung Electronics and Ericsson is not the first. The two companies signed license agreements related to terminal and network patents in 2001, and near the end of the contract in 2012, they engaged in patent litigation, which ended with Samsung Electronics paying $650 million. In 2014, the two companies signed a comprehensive mutual license agreement allowing the use of each other's patents, but disputes arose as the contract expiration approached.

Samsung Electronics stated, "We will respond after reviewing the complaint."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.