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EU
regulators to rule on Samsung, Motorola disputes in April
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[February 11, 2014]
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) — EU regulators will
rule on antitrust cases against Samsung Electronics and Motorola
Mobility in April, the European Commission said on Monday as it
seeks to end the so-called patent wars between smartphone makers.
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 The Commission — the EU's antitrust authority — has been
investigating the firms and others for using aggressive legal action
to prevent rivals from selling smartphones and tablet computers in
Europe by claiming they copied their designs.
The patent wars between tech companies, also including Apple,
Microsoft, Nokia and smaller rivals, underscore the fierce battle
for market share in the lucrative mobile phone industry.
The world's top smartphone makers, Samsung and Apple, are suing each
other in more than 10 countries.
Samsung, the target of a two-year EU investigation, has already
indicated it is willing to compromise. Last October, the South
Korean company said it would not take rivals to court over patent
disputes over the next five years in a bid to avoid a
multi-billion-euro fine from Brussels.
The company subsequently sweetened its offer after EU antitrust
chief Joaquin Almunia demanded more. "The latest commitment
proposals by Samsung are good and the Commission should be able to
adopt a final decision in April," said Almunia's spokesman Antoine
Colombani.
Google Inc's Motorola, under investigation in a separate case since
2012 following complaints from Apple and Microsoft over its efforts
to ban the sale of their products, will likely face sanctions, said
Colombani.
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He said that a decision in the Motorola case was also set for April
and that it had progressed to a so-called Article 7 decision which
could mean a fine.
In such cases, the Commission typically orders companies to halt
their anti-competitive practices and may hand out a fine up to 10
percent of a firm's global annual turnover. This could mean as much
as $440 million for Motorola.
Samsung and Google did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.
(Editing by John O'Donnell and Pravin
Char)
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