Samsung Ordered to Pay $117.7 Million in Patent Infringement Case with Maxell

A US federal jury found that Samsung infringed on patents owned by Japanese electronics firm Maxell. The jury ordered the Korean conglomerate to pay $117.7 million to Maxell in damages for several patents related to smart home platforms and smartphones. However, the ruling is not final, and Samsung may appeal.

Maxell’s legal battle with Samsung over patent infringement

In September 2023, Maxell sued Samsung, accusing the Korean firm of infringing its seven patents. The lawsuit claims that Samsung used these patented technologies while producing and selling several products, including the SmartThings station, smartphones, laptops, and home appliances.

The patents in question were originally filed by Hitachi Consumer Electronics, which was acquired by Maxell in 2013. Before its acquisition, Samsung and Hitachi signed a licensing agreement for those patents in 2011. The agreement had allowed the Korean firm to use the patents for a 10-year period. In 2021, the agreement expired, meaning Samsung could not use patented technologies on its products unless it renewed. However, it continued producing and selling products without renewing the license.

Regarding this matter, Maxell requested Samsung to renew the licensing agreement, saying that the company had violated the terms. However, the Korean giant refused to renew and instead kept selling products using the disputed technology. This prompted Maxell to initiate lawsuits in several jurisdictions, including the US, Germany, Japan, and the US International Trade Commission.

On Wednesday, a federal jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas delivered a verdict in favor of Maxell. The jury found that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and other devices infringe on three of Maxell’s US patents related to device unlocking functions, data management, and the reproduction of images and videos.

Do note that, as mentioned above, this verdict is not a final ruling and could be subject to appeal. We will learn more about the legal battle if Samsung appeals against the decision in the coming weeks. For now, it’s a win for Maxell, and Samsung has to pay $117.7 million as per the ruling.

Meanwhile, this week, BOE filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The lawsuit claims that Samsung infringed on four of BOE’s patents related to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to use in the Galaxy Z Fold series.