US-based semiconductor company Tessera Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics on the grounds that the South Korean tech giant made unauthorized use of 24 patented technologies owned by the company. According to initial reports, the supposedly infringed patents include a wide variety of semiconductor processing, bonding, and packaging technologies which have been used by Samsung in the creation of several smartphone models over the past few years, including the Samsung Galaxy S6, its sequels, and even the new Galaxy Note 8.
According to Tessera Technologies’ parent Xperi Corporation, Samsung Electronics has entered a partnership with the semiconductor company in 1997. This partnership revolved around various licenses permitting Samsung to employ some of the company’s semiconductor patents; however, the most recent license acquired by the South Korean company already expired in December 2016. Despite this, the semiconductor firm claims that Samsung continued to use its patented technologies without authorization or paying fair compensation. These patents have reportedly been employed for the creation of several smartphone models including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 series, as well as this year’s Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 flagships. As a result, Tessera Technologies is suing the OEM and the legal proceedings were reportedly filed at three US federal district courts, with the U.S. International Trade Commission, and with “certain international jurisdictions” that have not been outright specified.
Like many other companies of this caliber, Samsung Electronics is no stranger to lawsuits and claims of patent infringement, but as usual, only time will tell who will come out on top following the latest legal proceedings. There was a time when Samsung and Apple were taunting each other with lawsuits every year, but both companies eventually agreed to set aside their issues some years ago in favor of a healthier market. Nevertheless, lawsuits still happen and last December, Samsung along with Qualcomm and GlobalFoundries have all been sued by the US branch of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology for unfair use of the FinFET manufacturing process. Also last year, Samsung was faced with a class action lawsuit in South Korea following the release of the faulty Galaxy Note 7, which eventually fell through thanks to the company’s ability to take quick action, recall the device in a timely manner and offer incentives in some cases.