Samsung retaliates, petitions ITC to block Nvidia chips from US market

[Himanshu Arora]

A few weeks after filing a lawsuit, Samsung has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, asking it to block the sales of graphics processors made by Nvidia in the US market. The complaint also names other companies including Biostar Microtech International, Elitegroup Computer Systems, and more.

Samsung's move is the latest chapter in an ongoing legal battle between the two companies that began a couple of months ago when Nvidia filed an ITC complaint against the South Korean company as well as Qualcomm, accusing the two of infringing on several of its graphics processing unit patents.

The chipmaker sought to block shipments of several Galaxy devices including the Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy S4 mobile phones, as well as the Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note Pro, and Galaxy Tab 2. The company also filed a lawsuit in the Delaware District Court seeking damages for infringement.

The ITC opened an investigation into the complaint last month.

In response, earlier this month, Samsung filed a patent-infringement suit in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, accusing Nvidia and one of its customers of infringing as many as eight chip-related patents. Nvidia termed the lawsuit "a predictable tactic."

"We have not seen the complaint so can’t comment, but we look forward to pursuing our earlier filed ITC action against Samsung products,’’ an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/58937-samsung-retaliates-petitions-itc-block-nvidia-chips-us.html

 

[RustyTech]

"Nvidia termed the lawsuit "a predictable tactic.""

So I guess companies are supposed to just turn around and bend over for Nvidia, huh?

Seems Nvidia may be on the Apple bandwagon - stifle innovation and kill competition. Didn't they do something similar a few years back? I can't remember to which company though.

 

[Uncle Al]

As we look back over the years of suits between technical companies, it would just as profitable for them to throw ALL their profits into a bucket and divide it up at the end of the year! Only the lawyers come out ahead in these things .....

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

The ITC should turn around and say "You're both acting like little children now and we're going to do nothing about it, sort it out between yourselves".
That would quickly shake up these lawsuit happy companies.

 

[EEatGDL]

Seems Nvidia may be on the Apple bandwagon - stifle innovation and kill competition. Didn't they do something similar a few years back? I can't remember to which company though.

Ehm... no, not Apple. If you have been following the case from the beginning: is the first lawsuit from NVIDIA in all of its company history; they were negotiating with Qualcomm and Samsung a licensing fee, but after months of nothing they took the lawsuit as a last resource.

 

[captaincranky]

So then, this is the monopoly kettle calling the monopoly pot black?

 

[dividebyzero]

Ehm... no, not Apple. If you have been following the case from the beginning:[This] is the first lawsuit from NVIDIA in all of its company history; they were negotiating with Qualcomm and Samsung a licensing fee, but after months of nothing they took the lawsuit as a last resource.

Surprisingly yes, it is the first patent suit that Nvidia have filed.
What is amusing is that Samsung for all their great wealth and influence, have a legal team made up of circus clowns by the look of it. When the case was first lodged, I read through the patents involved, and the second patent referenced (6,282,938), actually references a patent that has expired due to Samsung failing to pay the fee to keep it valid.

Maybe all Samsung's good legal counsel personnel were still tied up with the river/port and high speed rail bid rigging cases Samsung were being prosecuted for by the Korean FTC as well as the ongoing struggles against Apple.

 

[EEatGDL]

Thanks for the gramatical correction ("this") dbz, english is not my native language and sometimes something slips. Haha, awesome investigation -I've always wondered: what is your degree exactly?

 

[dividebyzero]

Thanks for the gramatical correction ("this") dbz, english is not my native language and sometimes something slips. Haha, awesome investigation -I've always wondered: what is your degree exactly?

Your written English still puts many native English speakers to shame, and is far removed from the grammatical abominations that some people churn out

My degree has nothing to do with tech. City & Guilds Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts (w/Distinction) - the equivalent of a Masters Degree with first class honours...for cooking. Like most degree's, it might be a foot in the door, but other than that it's just a sheaf of papers.

The tech interest comes from school (back in the late 70's), and one of my first jobs which required maintenance, coding, and data processing with automobile-sized mainframes (Burroughs and Honeywell).

 

[EEatGDL]

My degree has nothing to do with tech. City & Guilds Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts (w/Distinction) - the equivalent of a Masters Degree with first class honours...for cooking. Like most degree's, it might be a foot in the door, but other than that it's just a sheaf of papers.

Wow, I always thought it was journalism, specialized in technology or something among those lines. What a hobby you have then.

 

[EEatGDL]

I just looked up what is Velocity Micro and it's a shame. It's BS from Samsung's part, it's like sueing any random custom PC-builder (like Origin or any other) -WTF!!