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EU probes Samsung for anti-competitive use of patents

By Victor Hristov

Published: Jan 31, 2012, 7:09 AM

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European Union regulators have started an investigation trying to determine whether Samsung has disregarded anti-trust laws in its legal battles against competitors such as Apple. The Korean company is looking for injunctions against rival products in various European countries inlcuding the largest markets there like France.

Samsung owns some essential industry standards, and what sparked the investigation is the company’s promise to license them to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute on non-discriminatory and fair terms.

"The (European) Commission will investigate, in particular, whether in doing so (seeking injunctions on patent infringements in 2011) Samsung has failed to honor its irrevocable commitment given in 1998 to the European Telecommunications Standards," a statement from the EC said.

The goal is to determine whether Samsung was and is abusing its position in the mobile industry to fight competitors. The case will be of priority, but doesn’t pre-judge, so it’d be interesting to see how Europe rules on that.

source: Reuters

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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