EU Commission has sent Samsung the so called “Statement of Objections” wherein their preliminary view is that Samsung abused its position of owning standard-essential 3G UMTS patents (SEPs) and trying to gain an injunction against Apple products.
The Commission says Samsung was wrong because they gave a commitment to license those patents on Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms and Apple was willing to license them.
A Statement of Objections is just an initial step in the investigation and the next thing is for the companies involved to reply in writing and request an oral hearing to defend their views. However, if found guilty, the Commission can impose a fine of up to 10% of a company’s annual worldwide turnover. Ouch. It hurts just to think about it…
[Via: SammyHub]