According to reports, Samsung may be ready to wave the white flag in its issues with European Union antitrust regulators rather than taking the chance of fighting it out in court.
Samsung first came under the fire of the European Commission last year when it began seeking injunctions in various EU countries against Apple’s use of its patents for the 3G UMTS standard. In order for Samsung to obtain the patents, it was forced to agree that it would license them on fair and reasonable terms to any and all companies that requested their use. By seeking injunctions against Apple products, the EU is concerned Samsung might not have been holding up its end of the bargain. In December, the Commission said that it believed Samsung engaged in a “potential misuse” of essential patents which could be seen as “anticompetitive.”
It still remains to be seen if Samsung will be able to reach a settlement in this antitrust suit. According to sources, the discussions are still very much in the preliminary stages. If Samsung is able to reach a settlement, they will likely not face any fines. If the company decides to battle it out, it could end up facing $17.3 billion in fines.
When asked why Samsung was seeking to settle instead of fighting the charges, an analyst close to the case said it was possible that the company believed the regulator had built up a strong enough case against it.
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