Samsung (005930) has filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission requesting an import and sales ban on a variety of Ericsson (ERIC) products. The company’s move comes after Ericsson filed a similar request with the agency last week. Samsung previously accused Ericsson of asking for “prohibitively higher royalty rates to renew the same patent portfolio” and that it will defend itself against a lawsuit.
Samsung said in a statement to Reuters that it attempted to “negotiate with Ericsson in good faith, however Ericsson has proven unwilling to continue such negotiations by making unreasonable claims, which it is now trying to enforce in court.”
Samsung is now accusing Ericsson of infringing upon seven of its patents concerning telecommunications networking equipment. Ericsson’s networking unit has seen a significant drop in sales, down 17% in the third quarter, and like many other companies in the mobile space is turning to the courts to boost its bottom line.
