Judge could sanction Samsung for leaking confidential Apple information

Judge Paul Grewal, no stranger to this site, is considering placing sanctions on Samsung and its attorneys for leaking confidential Apple information. The judge has issued an order to Samsung to show cause why sanctions should not be issued in this situation. In the order, Grewal writes "sanctions against Samsung and its attorneys are warranted." As part of the discovery process during its lawsuit against Samsung, Apple turned over confidential patent licensing agreements with Nokia, Ericsson, Sharp, and Philips.This information was to be seen only by Samsung's legal team.

According to Apple, Samsung used this information to gain a "competitive advantage in the market". 90 Samsung employees and 130 unauthorized attorneys apparently got their hands on the documents because of leaks. Nokia joined Apple's motion for sanctions. Nokia's chief intellectual property officer, Paul Melin, says Samsung executive Dr. Seungho Ahn used the leaked information as leverage to work out better terms for Samsung in negotiations with Nokia. During the negotiations, Dr. Ahn allegedly told Melin, "All information leaks."

A hearing has been scheduled for December 9th and Judge Grewal has asked both Apple and Nokia for recommendations on how to punish Samsung. The latter was told to prepare a defense.

If you like to pretend that you're an attorney, going so far as to wear a suit and tie and legal briefs, you can click on the sourcelink to view the court's order.

source: SBNation via TheVerge via Phandroid