Samsung Drops Injunction Requests Against Apple in Europe

[MacRumors]

In yet another development in the worldwide patent battle between Apple and Samsung, The Verge reports that Samsung has dropped its requests for injunctions barring the sale of a number of Apple products in Europe. Samsung has accused Apple of infringing several standards-essential patents related to cellular technology and has been pursuing both sales bans and monetary damages. Samsung's statement reads:

Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court. In this spirit, Samsung has decided to withdraw our injunction requests against Apple on the basis of our standard essential patents pending in European courts, in the interest of protecting consumer choice.

While Samsung is portraying its move as an altruistic one focused on "protecting consumer choice", the company has been under scrutiny from the European Commission over potential antitrust issues related to licensing the standards-essential patents it owns.

Standards-essential patents are required to be licensed under FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms in order to promote competition. The requirement is aimed at preventing a single company from controlling an entire industry by refusing to license patents critical to building a competing product. Apple's lawyers have argued, however, that Samsung's offers for licensing its 3G-related patents have not been reasonable.

Apple has been pushing for greater clarification of how patents subject to FRAND terms should be licensed, and has been one of a number of parties to argue that standards-essential patents should not be used as the basis for requests for sales injunctions as the patents are intended to be licensed.

Article Link: Samsung Drops Injunction Requests Against Apple in Europe

[KdParker]

Not sure if this really means anything. Maybe they are playing nice with each other

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by KdParker

Not sure if this really means anything. Maybe they are playing nice with each other

Suits are still on.

All this means is that Samsung has figured out they won't get the injunctions and further attempts are more fuel in the EU investigation that they are using SEPs in violation of antitrust laws

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Originally Posted by bbeagle

Funny, everywhere I've read is spinning this story against Samsung for making such a ridiculous statement - 'in the interest of protecting consumer choice'.

.

Anyone with a clue read through that pr babble. Power of the world wide webs and all that

[Digital Skunk]

Funny, Macrumors spins this story against Samsung, other tech sites spin this story against Apple.

Who to trust?

I just want the companies to get back to producing kick *** phones and devices.

[bbeagle]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

Funny, Macrumors spins this story against Samsung, other tech sites spin this story against Apple.

Who to trust?

Funny, everywhere I've read is spinning this story against Samsung for making such a ridiculous statement - 'in the interest of protecting consumer choice'.

Give me some places that are spinning this against Apple.

[thekris1234]

I agree with what was said in the comments on another site. I think Samsung have pulled out because of the threat from the EU to investigate abuse of SEP's.

I believe Motorola is already being investigated.

[Tech198]

Originally Posted by bbeagle

Funny, everywhere I've read is spinning this story against Samsung for making such a ridiculous statement - 'in the interest of protecting consumer choice'.

Give me some places that are spinning this against Apple.

Lol.. Yep.... But sees it all about "competing faily". .. How the hell did Samung take soo long?

another bird has died off before Samsung relied "in spirit"

Personally, this is where you Really wanna have a "we agree not to sue u" type aggreement.

[JAT]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

I just want the companies to get back to producing kick *** phones and devices.

Not pleased with the Note 2, GS III, or iPhone 5? If not, you may want to look at your standards.
Admittedly, the iPad 4 and latest Galaxy Tabs aren't exactly doing anything special, just speed upgrades.

[oliversl]

Is not funny, its a fact:

- Samsung oem some 3G patents that Broadcom licensed, Apple uses the licensed Broadcom chips and now Samsung says that from all companies that uses the Broadcom chips, Apple should pay more and the other companies not.
- Apple innovate in physical design and GUI, Samsung blatantly copied both, and Samsung says it should be allowed to copy and don't pay.

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

Funny, Macrumors spins this story against Samsung, other tech sites spin this story against Apple.

Who to trust?

I just want the companies to get back to producing kick *** phones and devices.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by JAT

Not pleased with the Note 2, GS III, or iPhone 5? If not, you may want to look at your standards.
Admittedly, the iPad 4 and latest Galaxy Tabs aren't exactly doing anything special, just speed upgrades.

I am satisfied with the Note II more so than any other device I've used in the past 5 years. It really brings me back to my Palm TX days. I use it more than my iPad.

I agree however, that most of the slates being introduced aren't more than incremental updates save for the iPad Mini which really only keeps me interested because of it's size.

Originally Posted by oliversl

Is not funny, its a fact:

- Samsung oem some 3G patents that Broadcom licensed, Apple uses the licensed Broadcom chips and now Samsung says that from all companies that uses the Broadcom chips, Apple should pay more and the other companies not.
- Apple innovate in physical design and GUI, Samsung blatantly copied both, and Samsung says it should be allowed to copy and don't pay.

And Apple ripped off many a tech company in its day and vice versa and we've never seen such nonsense in the courts. Or at least it was kept quite.

[MonkeySee....]

Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court. In this spirit, Samsung has decided to withdraw our injunction requests against Apple on the basis of our standard essential patents pending in European courts, in the interest of protecting consumer choice.

This is a load of bollocks.

[D.T.]

Next week: Apple and Samsung take long hot shower together.

[iBug2]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

And Apple ripped off many a tech company in its day and vice versa and we've never seen such nonsense in the courts. Or at least it was kept quite.

There were many court stories about others suing apple back in the day as well, but we weren't reading them online every day. Nothing really changed.

[MacBoobsPro]

I still dont buy the 'less consumer choice' argument. If someone is copying then surely that is less choice than if two companies innovate themselves?!

[SmileyBlast!]

Samsung needs to be seen as not anti-competitive by the EU Courts.
The Courts could levy hefty fines against Samsung that would cut into profits.

If they can get a licensing deal with Apple for their owned patents then so much the better.

They continue to grow in market share at Apple's expense and they can get a royalty for every Apple Phone sold too.

[bbeagle]

[Keane16]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

And Apple ripped off many a tech company in its day and vice versa and we've never seen such nonsense in the courts. Or at least it was kept quite.

Can you give me some examples of companies Apple ripped off. Always like reading up about this stuff.

Also it's much harder to keep things "quiet" these days with the internet. It's the world we live in. Besides surely if a company feels they've been ripped off by apple it's their duty to report it to the relevant authorities?

I'm pretty sure you've been blinded by the media because as far as I remember lawsuits have been going on in the tech world since way back in the day.

[Doctor Q]

Interesting statement by Samsung, saying "it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court" just as they've filed a new suit against LG over LCD patents. I guess the spin is that they have no choice but to sue, but I wonder why these big players don't more often prefer negotiations to the all-or-nothing approach of court cases.

[MuddyPaws1]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

Funny, Macrumors spins this story against Samsung, other tech sites spin this story against Apple.

Who to trust?

I just want the companies to get back to producing kick *** phones and devices.

What I find funny is that MR posts this but does not post THIS

[Mal]

Originally Posted by MuddyPaws1

What I find funny is that MR posts this but does not post THIS

True, but my favorite line from that is this one:

At the same time, the judge also rejected Samsung's call for a new trial because of alleged juror misconduct.

That was Samsung's most ridiculous claim, and one I've seen repeated here far too often.

jW

[steve119]

Makes you wonder if Samsung has stepped back a bit and thought that maybe going too aggressive with patent suits, that it should calm things a little and let apple make the next move?

These big patent battles are not doing either company any favours.

[Thunderhawks]

Anything lawsuit Samsung Apple page 2 please?

[camnchar]

Samsung stops wasting time and money and saves itself the embarrassment of losing in court. End of story.

[nepalisherpa]

Apple/Samsung, stop bothering each other and start innovating! I don't want to see a slightly updated 5S or S4.

[i.mac]

Originally Posted by nepalisherpa

Apple/Samsung, stop bothering each other and start innovating! I don't want to see a slightly updated 5S or S4.

No, the judge said 'not enough evidence apple sales suffer even when samedung copied apple, no injunction in favor of apple'.

Translation: 'apple, keep innovating, others will copy regardless of your patents, and we judges will continue to rule against you any way any how, evidence be dammed'

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Originally Posted by MacBoobsPro

I still dont buy the 'less consumer choice' argument. If someone is copying then surely that is less choice than if two companies innovate themselves?!

Samedung and others like it innovate on how to ripoff apple and get away with it.

As far as samedung is concerned, 1 billion in fines is less than 4 billions in research.