Photo = Samsung Electronics

 

 

[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Samsung Electronics has been ordered to pay $111.7 million in damages to Japanese electronics company Maxell for alleged patent infringement, according to a jury verdict delivered on May 28 (local time) by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The jury found that Samsung’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform, SmartThings, and certain smartphone technologies infringed several of Maxell’s patents. The ruling is not a final judgment.



The verdict stems from a lawsuit filed by Maxell in September 2023. Maxell alleged that Samsung willfully used seven of its patents without authorization, including technology related to automatic synchronization of devices. The infringed patents cover areas such as video and photo playback, mobile device unlocking, and automatic connectivity between smart home devices.



The jury concluded that Samsung willfully infringed on U.S. Patents No. 8,982,086; No. 10,176,848; and No. 11,017,815, which relate to video playback, biometric-based device unlocking, and automatic inter-device connections.



Maxell claims the infringed technologies are based on intellectual property originally developed by Hitachi and later acquired by Maxell in 2011. The company argues that Samsung continued using these technologies even after the expiration of its license agreement with Hitachi, without securing a renewed license.



Maxell has filed similar patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung in Japan, Germany, and other jurisdictions. It has also lodged over a dozen complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), citing a total of 23 patents allegedly infringed globally. The total amount at stake in these cases is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.



Samsung stated that it plans to continue pursuing legal action. The company has previously appealed verdicts in similar patent disputes.

 

 

 

 

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