Following a ruling in its favour in a court in The Hague, Samsung is to demand compensation from Apple after the company was found to be infringing upon a 3G patent associated with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.
Before the court has been able to reveal the outcome of the lawsuit, Samsung has already issued a statement to the Dutch media, stating that it will “recover adequate damages that Apple products have caused.” Figures have not been revealed but Samsung is expected to seek compensation totalling in the millions.
Samsung filed the lawsuit in October 2011, accusing Apple of infringing on four 3G patents. The court in The Haque found Apple to have infringed on one of the four patents — patent registration EP 1188269, which centers on TFCI (Transport Format Combination Indicator) technologies — with the iPad 1, iPad 2 and all iPhone models bar the iPhone 4S.
This is because the iPhone 4S was protected by Apple’s partnership with Qualcomm. Earlier iPhone and iPad 3G-enabled models utilised Intel/Infineon chips.
The full statement from Samsung (translated):
Samsung welcomes the decision of the court in The Hague, which again confirms that Apple makes free use of our technological innovations. In accordance with this statement, we recover adequate damages that Apple and its products have caused. For decades, Samsung has invested heavily as a pioneer in the development of technological innovations for the control of advanced devices, including innovations that are widely adopted by other manufacturers of mobile devices. We continue to defend our innovations and protecting our intellectual property rights for Apple to stop free use of our technology.
Because Samsung’s 3G patent is registered under fair use (FRAND) terms, the company is unlikely to pursue a ban for Apple’s devices. However, it has said it will seek damages or a fair license, but what Samsung intends to do is yet to be announced.
Because Samsung lost two of its patent lawsuits, it will have to pay €800,000 in court costs.
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