Samsung Hit With $400 Million Fine Over FinFET Patent Infringement

[kcarbotte]

Samsung Electronics Co. is facing a hefty $400 million penalty for infringing on a patent owned by a South Korean University.

Samsung Hit With $400 Million Fine Over FinFET Patent Infringement : Read more

 

[valeman2012]

Texas Jury is a joke, they did same with Nintendo Wii U possible copyright violation. Letting these Patent trolls win.

 

[epdm2be]

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

In the mean time, the only thing I do is paying goddamn taxes! Instead of saving for an HTC Vive Pro or any other tech that I'm interested in. :-(

 

[bit_user]

Texas Jury is a joke, they did same with Nintendo Wii U possible copyright violation. Letting these Patent trolls win.

Wait a sec...

South Korean electronics company infringed a US patent owned by the licensing arm of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
...
Samsung ... told the jury that it worked with the university to develop the technology and denied infringing the patent. It also challenged the validity of the patent.

I'm not sure this is an open-and-shut patent trolling case. Usually, when there are such partnerships, there are agreements in place around IP ownership and licensing. Perhaps the case hinged more on such minutiae...

Anyway, if the patent isn't valid, at least it's now possible to get it invalidated.

 

[mrmez]

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

That makes no sense.
Patent infringements are the very thing stopping companies from innovating.
Why should I spend a billion dollars on R&D when another company can steal it with no penalty?

You can thank Samsung for forcing Pioneer out of the TV market. Pioneer had amazing plasma screens. Samsung illegally used their patents, undercut them on price, then dragged out the legal battle for so long that by the time they inevitably lost, Pioneer's TV business was damaged beyond saving.

 

[bit_user]

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

That makes no sense.
Patent infringements are the very thing stopping companies from innovating.

Don't be ridiculous. Patent trolling has had a very real and substantial effect on innovation. I can't even believe anyone would argue with that statement!

Sure, trolling and infringement are both harmful, but to create a false dichotomy between the two is either disingenuous or missing the point.

 

[ElectrO_90]

Always in America, Samsung loses, but when outside of America, Samsung cases against them are thrown out.
This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech, and wants to protect it. Yet, America thinks Apple is American.
It's really funny how America likes to think its the big dog, and it really isn't any more.

 

[bit_user]

This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech

Gosh, read much? The plaintiff is:

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

There are more juicy details. If you're not just interested in trying to score cheap points, try clicking on the source. They describe KAIST as "one of South Korea’s top research universities", which Samsung partnered with on this and other semiconductor research, and point out that even Intel licensed FinFET from them.

I think Kevin didn't include those bits because he didn't want to totally rip Bloomberg's piece, but he did give us enough that you could follow-up, if the subject caught your interest.

 

[Colif]

I doubt Samsung will notice fine at end of year

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Afpey7Eldo"][/video]

 

[ElectrO_90]

This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech

Gosh, read much? The plaintiff is:

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

There are more juicy details. If you're not just interested in trying to score cheap points, try clicking on the source. They describe KAIST as "one of South Korea’s top research universities", which Samsung partnered with on this and other semiconductor research, and point out that even Intel licensed FinFET from them.

I think Kevin didn't include those bits because he didn't want to totally rip Bloomberg's piece, but he did give us enough that you could follow-up, if the subject caught your interest.

Maybe you missed this part - a federal jury in Texas on Friday said that the South Korean electronics company infringed a US patent.... Probably because it didn't infringe a Patent in S Korea....

 

[10tacle]

You can thank Samsung for forcing Pioneer out of the TV market. Pioneer had amazing plasma screens. Samsung illegally used their patents, undercut them on price, then dragged out the legal battle for so long that by the time they inevitably lost, Pioneer's TV business was damaged beyond saving.

I'm not so sure about that. Pioneer was never one of the Big Three HDTV OEMs out there (Sony, LG, Samsung). Pioneer should have known better than to take on a market dominating panel maker and instead focus on what they do best: audio equipment. I mean seriously. When did Pioneer ever get into video beforehand? I don't recall them ever making tube TVs like Sony had been doing since introducing their first "Trinitron" CRT TV before we even landed on the moon. Sony had a joint agreement with Samsung for LCD panel tech and in 2011 or so sold their stake to them for almost a cool billion. They are currently vested with Sharp.

LG and Matsushita settled a similar dispute over plasma tech and signed a mutual licensing agreement before it ever got to the courts. To me that entire fiasco between Pioneer and Samsung was completely unnecessary but apparently both sides could not reach an agreement so egos got in the way. Pioneer lost and should have known better than to pick a battle with an expert and giant in the field, which Pioneer was not. Oh by the way, I still have my 720p 42" Samsung plasma built in 2007. I only keep it in a spare room now for guests as it just uses way too much power and creates too much heat.

This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech, and wants to protect it. Yet, America thinks Apple is American.It's really funny how America likes to think its the big dog, and it really isn't any more.

1) That's because history is rife with our tech getting stolen (or sold illegally by corporate insiders).

2) We are the big dog as a single nation. We have a higher per capita GDP based on population than all EU nations combined.

3) Last time I checked, an American created Apple and their headquarters are in the US. Unless you are talking about some other Apple company I'm not aware of.

4) Why do you non-Americans think it is okay to protectionist your own nation's companies and industry but the US cannot? Oh silly me. I'm probably talking to a European who thinks it is perfectly fine for the EU leadership bureaucrats based in Brussels to tell Brits what types of electric teapots they are allowed to own based on energy rating consumption.

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

Actually any of that money gets passed on to we the consumer in future product price hikes. And I don't know what politicians have to do with lawsuit spats between corporations. I do know that the lawyers always win in the end though whether or not their client wins.

 

[bit_user]

a federal jury in Texas on Friday said that the South Korean electronics company infringed a US patent.... Probably because it didn't infringe a Patent in S Korea....

Maybe, but now you're just grasping at straws.

Okay, so you tripped over yourself to make a point and posted a knee-jerk reaction without fully reading the article. We've probably all been there. But instead of kicking sand or doubling down, just move on and try not to do it again.

 

[bit_user]

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

Actually any of that money gets passed on to we the consumer in future product price hikes. And I don't know what politicians have to do with lawsuit spats between corporations. I do know that the lawyers always win in the end though whether or not their client wins.

Well, the law-making process around IP legislation is... shall we say... heavily influenced.

Also, I believe Texas judges are elected, which means they're susceptible to influence in the same ways as other politicians.

So, while I don't agree that the politicians are receiving most of the profits of IP litigation, they're less disinterested than they should be.

As you say, the lawyers always win. Even when they lose, they still usually get paid.

 

[10tacle]

Yep, but all federal district judges are elected which is what this falls under, so it's not just Texas. Only local county and municipal judges are appointed by said leadership and only some of them are elected. It depends on the county/city. My major problem with bench judgement (bias) is that said court doesn't know enough about the issue they are trying to judge upon and have to rely on "experts" in the fields on both sides of the lawsuit forming their own conclusion. Just like I got into that flame war a couple of weeks ago on memory prices with someone claiming that it was miners, and only miners, to cause GPU prices to spike. Anyway if any judge takes money under the table in a ruling, it will most likely be exposed these days.

 

[valeman2012]

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

That makes no sense.
Patent infringements are the very thing stopping companies from innovating.
Why should I spend a billion dollars on R&D when another company can steal it with no penalty?

You can thank Samsung for forcing Pioneer out of the TV market. Pioneer had amazing plasma screens. Samsung illegally used their patents, undercut them on price, then dragged out the legal battle for so long that by the time they inevitably lost, Pioneer's TV business was damaged beyond saving.

Always in America, Samsung loses, but when outside of America, Samsung cases against them are thrown out.
This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech, and wants to protect it. Yet, America thinks Apple is American.
It's really funny how America likes to think its the big dog, and it really isn't any more.

I doubt Samsung will notice fine at end of year

[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Afpey7Eldo"][/video]

You can thank Samsung for forcing Pioneer out of the TV market. Pioneer had amazing plasma screens. Samsung illegally used their patents, undercut them on price, then dragged out the legal battle for so long that by the time they inevitably lost, Pioneer's TV business was damaged beyond saving.

I'm not so sure about that. Pioneer was never one of the Big Three HDTV OEMs out there (Sony, LG, Samsung). Pioneer should have known better than to take on a market dominating panel maker and instead focus on what they do best: audio equipment. I mean seriously. When did Pioneer ever get into video beforehand? I don't recall them ever making tube TVs like Sony had been doing since introducing their first "Trinitron" CRT TV before we even landed on the moon. Sony had a joint agreement with Samsung for LCD panel tech and in 2011 or so sold their stake to them for almost a cool billion. They are currently vested with Sharp.

LG and Matsushita settled a similar dispute over plasma tech and signed a mutual licensing agreement before it ever got to the courts. To me that entire fiasco between Pioneer and Samsung was completely unnecessary but apparently both sides could not reach an agreement so egos got in the way. Pioneer lost and should have known better than to pick a battle with an expert and giant in the field, which Pioneer was not. Oh by the way, I still have my 720p 42" Samsung plasma built in 2007. I only keep it in a spare room now for guests as it just uses way too much power and creates too much heat.

This is protectionism, America thinks foreign companies are stealing your tech, and wants to protect it. Yet, America thinks Apple is American.It's really funny how America likes to think its the big dog, and it really isn't any more.

1) That's because history is rife with our tech getting stolen (or sold illegally by corporate insiders).

2) We are the big dog as a single nation. We have a higher per capita GDP based on population than all EU nations combined.

3) Last time I checked, an American created Apple and their headquarters are in the US. Unless you are talking about some other Apple company I'm not aware of.

4) Why do you non-Americans think it is okay to protectionist your own nation's companies and industry but the US cannot? Oh silly me. I'm probably talking to a European who thinks it is perfectly fine for the EU leadership bureaucrats based in Brussels to tell Brits what types of electric teapots they are allowed to own based on energy rating consumption.

Great. Instead of spending money for innovation companies do nothing but pay fines here and there. Money which disappears in bloody politicians' pocket.

Actually any of that money gets passed on to we the consumer in future product price hikes. And I don't know what politicians have to do with lawsuit spats between corporations. I do know that the lawyers always win in the end though whether or not their client wins.

Yep, but all federal district judges are elected which is what this falls under, so it's not just Texas. Only local county and municipal judges are appointed by said leadership and only some of them are elected. It depends on the county/city. My major problem with bench judgement (bias) is that said court doesn't know enough about the issue they are trying to judge upon and have to rely on "experts" in the fields on both sides of the lawsuit forming their own conclusion. Just like I got into that flame war a couple of weeks ago on memory prices with someone claiming that it was miners, and only miners, to cause GPU prices to spike. Anyway if any judge takes money under the table in a ruling, it will most likely be exposed these days.

No i think it just Texas Jury 2nd time a big company lost to patent trolls. This is clearly patent trolling. A Republican States/Donald Trump pandering state..

These kinda gotta move patent lawsuits out of Texas.

 

[zakalshammam]

good job FinFET , i wish you made samsung to fine more and more

 

[bit_user]

Yep, but all federal district judges are elected which is what this falls under, so it's not just Texas.

No, Federal judges aren't elected, but they are appointed by the Executive and confirmed by the Senate.

The only elected judges are at or below the state level, and only in certain states. Moreover, this is a fairly recent development. I would prefer not to live in a state with elected judges.

But you make a good point - since this was litigated in a U.S. District Court, my point about elected judges doesn't apply.

 

[10tacle]

You are correct a usual Bit. I had it backwards. Long day, long week.

 

[chrisroy999r]

Good stuff !! Arm got a solid case here !! It ain’t like apple suing everyone making a phone with a single button bs .. it’s all about technology