Samsung will withdraw from the legal spat between Qualcomm and regulators in its native South Korea under a new patent licensing agreement.
Qualcomm this week announced an expanded “patent cross-license agreement” with the world’s largest smartphone maker. The chip giant said the terms are consistent with its global handset licensing practices and that as part of the deal, “Samsung will be withdrawing its interventions in Qualcomm’s appeal of the KFTC decision in the Seoul High Court.”
The Korea Fair Trade Commission fined Qualcomm more than $900 million in late 2016 after finding that it used its leading position in the chip market to force device makers to pay unnecessary licensing fees.
The company appealed that decision and a court ruling on the regulatory order remains pending. Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices also ran afoul of regulators in China, Taiwan and the U.S.
“We believe this amended agreement provides the foundation for a long-term, stable relationship with Samsung following the KFTC investigation,” Alex Rogers, the president of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said in a statement.
The companies also announced an expanded strategic relationship this week, under which they will partner on new technologies “across a range of mobile devices.” The multi-year agreement, officials said, would reach “through the transition to 5G.”
“We value our strategic relationship with Qualcomm Technologies and look forward to working together to deliver leading technologies in the years ahead,” TM Roh, who heads mobile R&D for Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.
Filed Under: Industry regulations + certifications