If you thought that the holiday season might go by without any patent-induced tit-for-tat then you would be sorely mistaken, as tech giant Samsung has taken the decision to sue Ericsson and request an International Trade Commission ban on US sales and import of some of the company’s telecommunications hardware.
Samsung’s decision to seek legal relief from the alleged infringement of 7 of its patents is likely motivated by Ericsson’s own actions, after the Swedish company sued the Korean manufacturer and sought a ban of its own earlier in the year.
Samsung issued a statement on the issue, in which it stated:
'We have sought to negotiate with Ericsson in good faith. However, Ericsson has proven unwilling to continue such negotiations by making unreasonable claims, which it is now trying to enforce in court,'
Which, to the layperson could be taken as: 'We tried to talk to them but they went running to the courts, so we’re now countersuing.'
It has been mooted though, that Ericsson’s litigiousness in protecting its patent assets is part of a growing trend among companies that have been enduring harsh times, in which they seek to fall back on to their intellectual property in order to protect ailing income streams.
On this occasion though, it appears that the Swedes have roused a not inconsiderable opponent, and as we have seen in the past, money talks louder than patent paperwork, so Ericsson had better get its head down below the parapet – because the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer looks to be coming to exact revenge.
To read more on this ongoing fracas, head over to Reuters.
No comments:
Post a Comment