Samsung is getting sued for predicting remaining battery life

Samsung might get embroiled in another legal battle on account of patent infringement. Patent licensing company K. Mirza LLC filed a lawsuit against Samsung recently, claiming that the Korean tech giant has taken a smartphone battery technology that was originally developed by Dutch research institute “Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Togepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoe.”

The technology in question is an algorithm that can determine how much battery life is left on a mobile device, like a Galaxy smartphone. “The prediction is based on algorithms that analyze user behavior.” The algorithm enables “a sophisticated on-the-fly prediction of the remaining battery life of a mobile device […].” (via AndroidCentral)

Developing such a complex and accurate system takes time and resources. The patent licensing company claims that Samsung has been using this algorithm in its Android-powered devices without permission and infringed on the original patent.

The patent infringement lawsuit concerns older versions of Android OS and possibly other mobile OEMs

It's interesting to note that the patent infringement accusations concern older versions of Android OS, although it's unclear exactly which ones. Either way, newer devices like the Galaxy S22 series shouldn't be called to the stand, figuratively speaking.

Although the recent lawsuit targets Samsung, it revolves around technologies in Android OS rather than Samsung's proprietary software. With that in mind, other Android OEMs, including Google and Xiaomi, could be using the same technology and thus face similar consequences.

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

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