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Samsung being investigated in South Korea following Apple antitrust allegations

The Korea Fair Trade Commission on Thursday said regulators are investigating Apple's formal antitrust complaints against Samsung, which allege the South Korean company is abusing its wireless technology patents to gain an unfair advantage in the mobile industry.

The probe is yet another facet of the two companies' ongoing patent dispute that has spilled into 10 countries, and comes less than two weeks after the jury in a landmark U.S. case found Samsung responsible for over $1 billion in damages for violating Apple's design and utility patents.

According to an unnamed FTC official, the body is conducting the investigation after Apple filed a set of complaints earlier this year, asserting the Korean electronics giant was leveraging its dominant portfolio of wireless technology to compete unfairly against rivals in the lucrative mobile market, reports Reuters.

Samsung is also the target of a similar probe being conducted by the European Commission, the European Union's competition watchdog, to determine whether the company's use of declared standards-essential FRAND patents in high profile suits violates EU antitrust laws. In that case, Samsung promised to license certain essential 3G patents to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, and the company contends it has diligently met its FRAND obligations.

The two rival companies are also set to begin a number of patent trials and hearings in Germany, with Apple asserting a variety of Samsung devices infringed on design and software patents.



21 Comments

lord amhran 13 Years · 900 comments

South Korea is in bed with Samsung so I doubt seriously anything will come of this.

jcallows 18 Years · 150 comments

Samsung Senior is investigating Samsung Junior?  I think we already know what the Korean "Fair Trade" Commission will say.

sflocal 17 Years · 6150 comments

but..but... only Apple abuses patents.  Not scamsu... uhm... Samsung!  /s

geoadm 13 Years · 81 comments

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Goophone lawsuit. Only in China could you patent a total rip-off

sflocal 17 Years · 6150 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by geoadm 

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Goophone lawsuit. Only in China could you patent a total rip-off


Yeah, I read that article too.  Freakin unbelievable.  Those guys should be ashamed of themselves.  I know the Chinese justice system is a joke, but even I have to believe that if these a$$hats try suing Apple on this, the judge smacks a sledgehammer right on their foreheads.

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/chinese-knock-off-maker-ready-to-sue-over-iphone-5-design

http://www.gizchina.com/2012/09/04/chinese-phone-maker-goophone-i5-might-have-blocked-iphone-5-sales-in-china/

 

And here's GooPhone's official website.  Looks like they lifted video of the iPhone manufacturing and somehow plastered the Android logo on it?

http://shop.goophone.hk