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ASUS has sued Samsung for allegedly violating its wireless communication patents related to 4G and 5G networking technologies. The Taiwanese company is taking legal action after reportedly failing to strike a licensing deal with Samsung. It has named more than 200 Galaxy devices among the list of products infringing on its patented technologies, including the Galaxy S23 series and the latest foldables.
This complaint was filed by Asus Technology Licensing, an ASUS subsidiary that owns its patents, and Celerity IP, an intellectual property management firm in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The plaintiffs allege that Samsung has violated its 4G/5G wireless technology patents covered under US Patent No. 10,187,878. It was issued to ASUS in January 2019, the official filing notes.
The technology in question involves a method and apparatus “for improving a transmission using a configured resource in a wireless communication system.” According to the official complaint, ASUS notified Samsung about its infringing on this patent in January 2022. It offered the Korean behemoth a global license to use the patented technologies in exchange for a royalty fee. However, Samsung rejected the Taiwanese firm’s offer.
ASUS and Samsung had a prolonged discussion over the matter over an 18-month period that began in January 2022. After failing to reach an agreement, ASUS has decided to drag the Korean behemoth to the court, Bloomberg Law reports. The company says Samsung willfully infringed on its patents. It is seeking recovery of damages resulting from the Korean firm’s actions, “at least in the form of reasonable royalties.”
ASUS says Samsung used its patented technologies in over 200 Galaxy devices
The “licensing negotiations have been unsuccessful because Samsung has refused to engage in a good faith licensing discussion concerning the plaintiffs’ valuable patents,” the complaint states. “Given Samsung’s unwillingness to license the plaintiffs’ patents, or to cease its infringement, the Plaintiffs have filed this lawsuit for the purpose of protecting their patent rights in the United States.”
As said earlier, ASUS’ complaint names more than 200 Galaxy devices as “accused products.” These include devices as new as the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 and as old as the Galaxy A3 from 2014. The accused products also include Samsung tablets and smartwatches. Time will tell whether ASUS has a solid case in hand and if it manages to win this fight. It has demanded a jury trial for all issues, so we might be in for a long courtroom battle here.