Samsung, Ericsson call 3G truce
updated 01:00 pm EDT, Mon July 9, 2007
Samsung and Ericsson Truce
Samsung and Ericsson today agreed to drop lawsuits filed against each other, ending a patent dispute between the cellphone makers relating chiefly to their use of 3G Internet technology. The two firms have struck a cross-licensing deal that will let either company develop their phones without further legal trouble relating to the patents. Neither company has commented on the deal.
The gesture ends threats of a potential stalemate in the cellphone business, which would have seen either Samsung or Sony-Ericsson devices and a potentially costly settlement. Samsung had first sued Ericsson in February 2006 over the matter but was counter-sued twice by its Swedish rival, which accused it of treading not only on 3G patents relating to WCDMA (HSDPA) but also basic GSM calling network techniques.
