Samsung Has "No Intention" Of Apple Settlement Says Mobile Chief
Samsung has "no intention" of chasing a settlement with Apple, its mobile chief has insisted, refusing to follow HTC in ending ongoing patent battles outside of the courtroom. Asked whether an HTC-style agreement was in the pipeline, Samsung Mobile head J.K. Shin told press that "we have no such intention" the AFP reports, going on to predict Q4 2012 sales at least as strong as those in Q3.
HTC and Apple announced the two firms had come to an agreement and settled their patent differences earlier this week, ending several ongoing suits. Financial terms of the settlement have not been confirmed, but according to analyst reports, it amounts to HTC paying Apple in the region of $6-8 per Android device sold.
Such a compromise doesn't appear to tickle Samsung's fancy, however, and with sales topping the global smartphone market share charts, we can see why sliding a slice of each over the table to Apple doesn't exactly hold much allure.
Apple has argued that Samsung is a "copyist" that has borrowed design, functionality, and other technologies from the iPhone and iPad ranges so as to shorten development time for its own Android-based phones and tablets. In retort, Samsung has accused Apple of infringing on various technological patents, including those around 3G connectivity in several devices.
The high-profile trials have seen some significant fall-out. Apple was awarded a huge amount in damages – in excess of $1bn – in a US jury trial earlier this year, though Samsung is appealing the decision and the behavior of key members of the jury is also under investigation. Meanwhile, courts in other countries have found in Samsung's favor, with Apple recently being slapped by a UK appeals judge for how it handled a court-mandated public statement acknowledging its iPad designs had not been copied.