Samsung is in crisis as it is ordered to pay $112 million for violating device unlocking mechanisms and other technologies. Let’s take a closer look at this judgment.
A new report from the Korea Herald revealed that the South Korean tech firms have to pay $112 million as it has been hit with a patent violation judgment. Reportedly, a jury in the US District Court in Texarkana, Texas, released a judgment against Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, Galaxy Tablets, SmartThings Station, and other home appliances for defying three patents (number 8,982,086, 10,176,848, and 11,017,815) by Maxell.
These patents are related to the original methods of device unlocking, information processing, networking, and reproduction of images and videos. However, Maxell requested the jury to order $130 in damages, but it ordered Samsung to pay $112 million for violating Maxell’s patents.
Although it’s not the first time, since Maxell sued Samsung in 2023 for a massive range of electronics-related patents that it said Samsung violated. Before that, back in 2011, Samsung also signed an agreement with Hitachi Consumer Electronics (the parent firm back then), which allowed it to use ten patents from Maxell for ten years. Unfortunately, the company refused to renew its agreement once the duration expired after ten years in 2021, and it still continues to use them in its devices.
At the top of the talk, Samsung stands out when contacted by Maxell that those patents are now invalid, which forces it to file cases against the firm in multiple markets, including Germany, Japan, and the USA. It will be interesting to see exactly how Samsung will deal with this judgment and whether it agrees to pay Maxell or appeal to a higher court.
