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 The Microsoft lawsuit, filed in a Manhattan federal court, seeks
monetary recovery from Samsung but does not publicly disclose the
amount in dispute.
In a blog post on Friday, Microsoft deputy general counsel David
Howard wrote that Microsoft "values and respects our partnership"
with Samsung, but differs with Samsung over how to interpret the
licensing agreement.
"Unfortunately, even partners sometimes disagree," Howard wrote. In
a statement, Samsung said it will review the complaint "in detail"
and determine an appropriate response.
Microsoft is trying to compete in the mobile market with products
that run on Google Inc's <GOOGL.O> Android operating system. As part
of that landscape, Microsoft has tried to raise the costs for
Android handset makers by convincing them to pay Microsoft patent
royalties.
Most large handset makers, such as Samsung, LG <066570.KS> and HTC
<2498.TW>, have agreed to pay. Motorola is one of the main holdouts,
and that company has been in litigation against Microsoft since
2010.
Samsung made its royalty payments to Microsoft during the first
fiscal year after they signed their 2011 agreement, the lawsuit
said. However after Microsoft announced the Nokia deal last year,
Samsung initially refused to make another payment, the lawsuit said.
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In refusing to pay Microsoft, Samsung argued the Nokia deal breached
its licensing agreement with Microsoft, the lawsuit said. Samsung
eventually paid Microsoft late, the lawsuit said, but has refused to
pay interest.
Samsung also claims smartphone products sold by Microsoft after the
Nokia deal are not covered by the licensing deal, the lawsuit said.
Microsoft has asked a judge to make an opposite finding.
The lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York is
Microsoft Corp vs. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, 14-6039.
(Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by David Gregorio
and Lisa Shumaker)
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