After winning $1 bln in Apple case, Caltech sues Samsung over same patents

Signage is seen at Samsung 837 in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 23, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) – The California Institute of Technology has made Samsung its latest target for allegedly infringing its Wi-Fi patents following its $1.1 billion win against Apple and Broadcom last year, according to a complaint filed in East Texas federal court Friday.

Caltech said in the new lawsuit that Samsung’s Galaxy phones, tablets, and watches use Wi-Fi chips that infringe five of its data-transmission patents, in addition to other Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung products including televisions and refrigerators.

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Caltech or its attorney Daniel Shih of Susman Godfrey.

A Los Angeles jury awarded Pasadena-based Caltech $1.1 billion in royalties from Apple and Broadcom after finding that Wi-Fi chips used in hundreds of millions of iPhones and other devices infringed its patents. Apple and Broadcom appealed the verdict, which is pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Caltech said in Friday’s lawsuit that it was seeking a reasonable royalty from Samsung “as in the case against Apple and Broadcom.”

Caltech also sued Microsoft in West Texas for allegedly infringing four of the patents earlier this year. That case has been paused until the Federal Circuit rules on Apple and Broadcom’s appeal.

The school’s lawsuit against Microsoft said the company’s Surface tablets and laptops and Xbox video game systems infringe. Microsoft has denied the allegations and argued the patents are invalid.

The case is California Institute of Technology v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:21-cv-00446.

For Caltech: Daniel Shih of Susman Godfrey

For Samsung: N/A

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