Samsung wins patent lawsuit related to Bixby, Galaxy Buds

Samsung wins lawsuit related to Bixby, Galaxy Buds, and other audio technologies

A US court has reportedly rejected a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics. This lawsuit was filed by a patent management company called Synergy IP Pte and Statern Tekiya LLC. Synergy IP Pte was founded by Ahn Seung-ho, a former senior Samsung Electronics employee who oversaw various audio and voice-related patents when he worked as Samsung's head of the intellectual property center for over a decade.

After he left Samsung Electronics in 2020, Ahn Seung-ho sued their former employer in 2021, claiming that the company violated ten patents owned by an audio firm called Statern. It was alleged that Samsung Electronics wrongfully used Statern's audio technologies to develop Bixby, Galaxy Buds, and other audio products.

Four more patent lawsuits were filed against Samsung in 2022. However, the court dismissed the first lawsuit against Samsung, saying it did not need to judge whether the patents were infringed as the lawsuit itself could not be established.

According to sources, Ahn Seung-ho stole confidential information on Statern from Samsung with the help of the company’s intellectual property official, his former subordinate. That information was used to file a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung.

The story continues after our Galaxy Buds 3 features wishlist video below.

The US court said Ahn Seung-ho caused irreparable damage to Samsung Electronics by filing the lawsuit in his favor using his position as a lawyer and the company's internal confidential information. It should be noted that Ahn Seung-ho received his license to practice law with support from Samsung when he worked there.