Asus is slowly but surely gaining more ground in global markets. After years of success selling computers, the Taiwanese electronics company shifted gears to curating smartphones, a progressive process that could take some more time to reach maturity. Being a high-end tech company, Asus could be exposed to legal threats due to its numerous inventions. Hence, it has established a wide variety of patents to not only shield itself from legal violations but also make revenue.
According toDigiTimes, Asus announced its intentions to challenge Samsung over its 4G and 5G wireless communications patents (viaSamMobile). The South Korean tech giant reportedly refused to reach an agreement regarding Asus’s licensing fees for patents.
Asus Technology Licensing and Innovative Sonic Limited, the company overseeing Asus’s patents, filed the case in the Eastern District of Texas. The suit claims that Samsung violated a single wireless communications patent — US Patent No. 10,187,878. As the patent covers a lot of 4G and 5G smartphones, it is described as a “method and apparatus for improving a transmission using a configured resource in a wireless communication system.”
This statement describes the nature of the patent as a standard essential patent. Similar cases have taken many months to litigate, so Samsung could be dealing with this suit for a couple of years before a conclusion is reached. While some may see it as an opportunity for Asus’s smartphones to bloom, the Taiwanese electronics maker may not make much out of it aside from the royalties it feels it is due. However, if Asus wins in the lawsuit, Samsung could lose key 4G and 5G wireless communication features for smartphones like the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Asus has alleged that Galaxy devices like the Z Flip 5 infringe on its connectivity patents
Patent disputes over mobile connectivity standards are anything but new with major tech companies. Just recently, Nokia sued Oppo over a 4G patent dispute that resulted in thesuspension of Oppo’s operations in Germany. Oppo also went on tocancel its operations in France, another key player in the European market. While the BBK-owned smartphone maker was speculated to remove its products from the European and the UK markets, it has since announced intentions to keep its devices available in these regions.
Such developments always attract a lot of speculation with enthusiasts describing their actions as irrational. As with the Nokia vs. Oppo saga continues, many details are yet to come out in the open. We do not know whether the current patent dispute between Samsung and Asus will take the same route, but its lengthened time in the court is expected to bring forth similar implications.
However, if the South Korean tech giant loses the case, its damages may still not push Asus up the smartphone ladder.
