Samsung eyes ban on Ericsson products

SEOUL - Agence France-Presse

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics filed a complaint to seek a U.S. import ban on some Ericsson products in an escalating patent battle with the Swedish mobile giant, officials said yesterday.

Samsung took the action on Dec. 21 with the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking a ban on imports and sales of Ericsson’s products over alleged infringements of Samsung’s wireless and equipment patents.

“We have sought to negotiate with Ericsson in good faith. However, Ericsson has proven unwilling to continue such negotiations by making unreasonable claims, which it is now trying to enforce in court”
Samsung said they had no choice, but to take the steps to protect their company. The action came after Ericsson earlier in the month filed a complaint with the commission seeking a ban on the import of some of Samsung’s wireless products, including devices in its Galaxy range. The pair is currently engaged in a patent dispute in a U.S. district court. Ericsson claims Samsung is seeking to drastically reduce the fee it pays to license so-called standard essential patents, which protect inventions incorporated into broader technologies, court filings showed.