Microsoft has sued Samsung in U.S. District Court, over patent licencing deal. The company claims that the South Korean giant has stopped making royalty payments on time last fall and is refusing to pay interest for the delay.
“After becoming the leading player in the worldwide smartphone market, Samsung decided late last year to stop complying with its agreement with Microsoft”
said Microsoft’s David Howard, Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in a blog post.
Under a 2011 deal, Samsung pays Microsoft an undisclosed amount of royalty for each Android phone and tablet it sells. Microsoft claimed that Samsung is using Microsoft’s April acquisition of Nokia’s phone business as an excuse to stop complying with the contract. The software giant also claimed that Samsung is not willing to make the payments as it has become a leading player in smartphone market with high sale numbers.
In a statement, Samsung said, “We will review the complaint in detail and determine appropriate measures in response”. The lawsuit does not mention the exact amount Samsung owes to Microsoft. Patent disputes have become an inseparable part of the smartphone ecosystem. Apple and Samsung lawsuit is one of the most high profile smartphone patent cases.