14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft last month filed a lawsuit against Samsung for not paying its Android royalties, and although the two companies were initially expected to settle the legal action, it appears that the dispute will go to trial in February 2015.
A report published by FOSS Patents today and citing court documents reveals that it could take a while until the Microsoft versus Samsung lawsuit is being resolved, as the trial won’t take place sooner than early 2015.
Not much is known right now, but Microsoft and Samsung will most likely resolve the dispute on their own by that time, mostly because they are still collaborating on a number of projects and more could follow very soon.
Microsoft: Samsung hasn’t paid its royalties since September 2013
In a statement released last month, Redmond complained that Samsung refused to pay its Android royalties for technologies that it uses on its phones since September 2013, when the company officially announced the takeover of Nokia’s Devices and Services division.
“After becoming the leading player in the worldwide smartphone market, Samsung decided late last year to stop complying with its agreement with Microsoft,” the software giant said in a statement, explaining that Samsung used its patents to boost its market share in the mobile sector.
“In September 2013, after Microsoft announced it was acquiring the Nokia Devices and Services business, Samsung began using the acquisition as an excuse to breach its contract. Curiously, Samsung did not ask the court to decide whether the Nokia acquisition invalidated its contract with Microsoft, likely because it knew its position was meritless.”
A settlement is being discussed right now
People close to the matter are saying that Microsoft and Samsung are working to settle the legal action, but it’s not yet clear whether the software giant is seeking damages or not.
What’s more surprising, however, is that some sources that asked not to be named for obvious reasons have hinted that Microsoft might actually try to convince Samsung to install Windows Phone on its flagship phones or at least launch new devices running its very own mobile OS.
Samsung is at this point focusing exclusively on Android to power its top smartphones, but a Windows Phone device is not completely out of discussion.
And still, Microsoft and Samsung are very likely to reach a settlement any time soon, mostly because the two companies need each other. That’s exactly what Microsoft said in the official announcement.
“Microsoft and Samsung have a long history of collaboration. Microsoft values and respects our partnership with Samsung and expects it to continue. We are simply asking the Court to settle our disagreement, and we are confident the contract will be enforced,” the company explained.