The mobile industry has a lot of moving parts that consumers tend not to really think about. All parts or technologies in a smartphone are not original creations of the manufacturer making that phone. Many times, someone figured it out before they could and patented the concept, so the manufacturer has to pay fees to use that patent.
Such is the case with the wireless charging tech that you find inside Samsung Galaxy smartphones. However, it has been discovered that Samsung went ahead to use this technology without paying the rightful patent owner. Not only have they been hit with a big fine, but it could mean no wireless charging in Samsung phones if they don’t pay.
Samsung Has Had A $192 Million Fine Added To Its Balance Sheet For The Year
A company named Mojo Mobility specializes in making wireless charging technology and has been in that industry since 2005. The company was able to patent its wireless charging technology at a very early stage before it became a staple in smartphones. Seeing the potential, in 2013, company representatives went to visit Samsung HQ in South Korea to try to work out a licensing deal for its technology but things fell through.
Here’s where things get sleazy though. Despite Samsung being entirely aware that the technology was patented, it still went ahead to stick that tech into its Galaxy smartphones, and even its smartwatches and earbuds, making millions of dollars in the process. That’s clear-cut patent infringement and Samsung knew that.
That definitely didn’t help the company’s case in court when Mojo Mobility sued them in 2022. That case has come to a close, with Samsung being ordered to pay a very substantial $192 million, which is certainly not the way the company wanted to end the year. However, it violated a total of five patents rather intentionally, so it is only fair that it has to pay what is due.
Samsung Will Have No Choice But To Pay, Or They Could Have To Say Bye To Wireless Charging
Companies being stingy is never a fun thing to see. At the end of the day, it is all about the bottom line to a lot of them so they do what they can to make sure that they maximize their profits. That was certainly the mindset at play when Samsung decided to infringe on these patents; in the end, they’re still coughing up the money, though with bigger stakes at play now.
If Samsung doesn’t pay these licensing fees, you can be sure that future Samsung devices are not going to come with wireless charging technology in them. That would be a huge blow to the company since its devices have had wireless charging consistently for the last several years. It’s an expected feature on any flagship device these days.
Even worse, devices that have already been released by Samsung could potentially lose their wireless charging too, since that capability could technically be turned off in software. Samsung would never let it come to that, so it will have to “take its L”, as the kids say.
