Samsung looking to settle EU antitrust case ahead of trial
According to a report from Reuters, Samsung is hoping to avoid a trial with the EU and settle charges that it illegally leveraged its standard essential patents against Apple.
The talks came after the European Commission, which acts as EU competition regulator, told Samsung in December that it was acting unfairly by seeking injunctions against Apple over use of the essential patents.
"Samsung has been involved in settlement discussions for several months now. Samsung wants to settle," said one of the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
While Apple has taken Samsung to court across the globe, those lawsuits center on patents that Apple owns and is under no obligation to license out.
Samsung, in contrast, has shown no hesitation in suing Apple for infringing upon standard essential patents which must be licensed out to competitors on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Specifically, Samsung, in a number of European countries, has sued Apple for infringing upon patents covering 3G technology.
So while Samsung may be looking to settle its case with the EU -- and avoid what may amount to billions of dollars in fines -- the company has no intention of settling its ongoing patent disputes with Apple.
You might recall that Samsung CEO Shin Jong-kyun recently said that the company has no intention of reaching a settlement agreement with Apple, noting that "patent disputes against Apple will continue."
