A week ago we reported that Ericsson was suing Samsung in the US over alleged patent infringement, and now unsurprisingly the Swedish company has reached out to the US ITC and are seeking a US import ban on Samsung’s products. According to Ericsson, the ban will cover Samsung’s mobile phones, tablets, televisions and media players that supposedly infringe upon one or more of the company’s patents. Ericsson is also arguing that by banning the import of the offending products, public interest will be served because “an adequate supply of substitute devices will be available to at least Ericsson and its current licensees,” and that since Samsung’s products aren’t necessary for health or welfare, there will not be an adverse impact on the public.
In case you missed our previous coverage, Ericsson is looking to sue Samsung over patent infringements because both companies could not reach an agreement over the renewal of a licensing agreement that both companies had with each other. The apparent reason behind this disagreement is because Samsung felt that Ericsson was asking for higher royalty rates for the same patents, while Ericsson argued that Samsung’s competitors had already agreed and paid, so they don’t see why this might be an issue for the Korean company.