Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (005930) are tangled in patent battles across the globe that seem like they might never end. This week, the tiresome tussles took an interesting turn when the details of settlement offers presented by each side were made public. Apple’s camp had some pretty stiff demands — the Cupertino, California-based company is seeking just over $2.5 billion in damages in addition to ongoing royalties ranging from $2.02 to $24 per licensed patent per device — and Samsung came back with an offer of its own… as well as some strong words.
Apple spoke with Reuters on Wednesday and complained that Samsung’s demands were unfair. The particular demand Apple takes issue with, according to the report, is a 2.4% royalty fee on devices that make use of Samsung’s protected IP. That would make Samsung’s average royalty on the iPhone, for example, $14.98 per device sold — certainly a lofty fee but well below the tax Apple is currently looking to impose on sales of Samsung phones that make use of Apple patents.
A Samsung spokesperson told Reuters that the proposed rate “is consistent with the royalty rates other companies charge,” and that Apple never made a counter offer. “Instead, it simply rejected Samsung’s opening offer, refused to negotiate further and to this day has not paid Samsung a dime for Apple‘s use of Samsung’s standards-essential technology,” a Samsung spokesperson said.
