Ericsson worked out a multi-year cross-licensing patent deal with Samsung covering the sale of network infrastructure and handsets, with the settlement ending all ongoing legal disputes between the companies.
The global agreement covers patents relating to the full range of cellular technologies including 5G from 1 January 2021.
In a statement, Ericsson said the agreement ends complaints filed by both companies before the US International Trade Commission (ITC) as well as the ongoing lawsuits in several countries, noting details are confidential and will not be disclosed.
In February 2021, the ITC announced it would investigating anongoing dispute between the two companies over 4G and 5G patent infringements, after Ericsson filed a complaint the previous month.
Christina Petersson, Ericsson’s chief intellectual property officer, said: “We are delighted to sign a mutually beneficial agreement with Samsung. This important deal confirms the value of our patent portfolio and further illustrates Ericsson’s commitment to FRAND [fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory] principles.”
The Sweden-based vendor estimates its revenue from IP rights licensing will reach SEK2 billion ($237.7 million) to SEK2.5 billion in Q2. Its IP portfolio includes more than 57,000 granted patents.
The two companies also agreed to cooperate to “advance the mobile industry in open standardisation and create valuable” services for consumers and enterprises, Ericsson’s statement noted.
