Samsung to pay $192m for infringing wireless charging patents

Samsung is a company that maintains a conservative line when it comes to charging technologies. However, ironically, Samsung now has to pay $192 million for wireless charging patent infringement on its Galaxy devices.

Mojo Mobility, a company that develops wireless charging technologies, filed a lawsuit against Samsung in 2022. It alleged that the South Korean giant infringed five of its patents in wireless charging implementations. According to the lawsuit, Samsung has been using the patented developments without authorization since 2016. Samsung has reportedly implemented the technologies in phones, smartwatches, and more product categories.

Samsung to pay $192 million to Mojo Mobility for wireless charging patent infringement

Interestingly, the case had a first trial and sentence where Samsung had to pay $67.5 million and a running royalty of $1.50 for each Galaxy phone that integrates Mojo Mobility’s patented technologies. However, during the first trial, there was confusion between the terms “running royalties” and “lump-sum royalties.” Therefore, the court annulled the sentence and ordered a new trial. As a result, Samsung now has to pay $192 million for infringement of wireless charging patents.

In 2023, Samsung filed a lawsuit to invalidate the five impacted wireless charging patents. However, it seems that in the end, the company’s efforts were in vain. “Based upon Mojo Mobility’s detailed oppositions to these IPR petitions, the PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) denied 15 of the 18 IPR petitions levied against the five patents upon which jury trial was had,” said Steven Pollinger, head of the US trial firm McKool Smith.

Samsung must pay the fine if wants to continue using wireless charging

Pollinger, representing Mojo Mobility, also said the two companies have had some courtroom encounters over the past decade. Now, Samsung must pay the fine if it wants to keep wireless charging on its Galaxy devices. In other cases, like Apple vs. Masimo, the defendant company opted to simply remove the patent-affected feature. Apple Watch devices lost the blood oxygen tracking feature because Apple did not want to pay for a licensing deal. However, the wireless charging feature is too important in today’s tech industry to let go.