During testimony in the Apple vs. Samsung trial, Apple executives have testified that the company was “shocked” when they first saw Samsung’s Galaxy phones. However, since Samsung was a major supplier, they did attempt to make a licensing deal with them.
AllThingsD. via 9to5Mac:
“Samsung chose to embrace and imitate Apple’s iPhone archetype,” Apple said in an Oct. 5, 2010 presentation to Samsung. “Apple would have preferred that Samsung request a license to do this in advance. Because Samsung is a strategic supplier to Apple, we are prepared to offer a royalty-bearing license for this category of device.”
Apple then offered to license its portfolio of patents to Samsung on the order of $30 per smartphone and $40 per tablet.
Also on the table was an Apple offer to give Samsung a 20 percent discount if the South Korean firm cross-licensed its portfolio back to Apple. Apple also asked for royalties on Samsung’s non-Android smartphones, those that ran the Symbian and Bada operating systems.
Apple estimated the Samsung would have owed approximately $250 million for 2010, an amount that was far less than Apple was spending to purchase components from Samsung.
The licensing offer was made in the October 5, 2010 presentation, which was made public on Friday.
Apple had warned Samsung as early as August 2010 that it felt the company was infringing on Apple patents.
Apple claimed in the 2010 presentation that they had identified dozens of examples where Android is using or encouraging others to use Apple patented technology.”
As we now know, those negotiations did not work out, as the two companies are now in the middle of a patent battle being waged in a San Jose, CA courtroom, with Apple seeking $2.5 billion in damages from Samsung, whose products, Apple says, “slavishly copy” the iPhone and iPad.
On Friday, Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler referenced the presentation during his testimony.
“We didn’t understand how a trusted partner would build a copycat product like that,” Teksler testified.
Below is the PDF of Apple’s October 2010 offer to Samsung.
Samsung Apple Oct 5 2010 Licensing
