Samsung has issued a lawsuit against Oura in an attempt to bar the company from moving forward on its own intellectual property (IP) dispute. Hanging in the balance is the Galaxy Ring, which Oura believes infringes on its patents.
In this odd quarrel between tech companies, Samsung believes Oura has used its patent portfolio to go after other small wearable tech companies. It fears that as Galaxy Ring reaches its launch to the market, Oura may do the same. “Oura’s actions and public statements demonstrate that Oura will continue asserting patent infringement against other entrants into the U.S. smart ring market, including Samsung,” the lawsuit states.
Samsung asserts that the Galaxy Ring doesn’t infringe on any existing patents owned by Oura. The tech giant continues to claim Oura has used aggressive IP protection against smaller startups in the wearables market. This includes Ultrahuman, Circular and RingConn. Samsung states Oura jumped in “as soon as, or even before, they entered the U.S. market.”
The Galaxy Ring maker also claims Oura attempted to leverage a media tour soon after the announcement of the small wearable. It cites that Oura pushed a narrative that it has “over 150 patents” within stories published by the likes of TechCrunch and CNBC.
Samsung’s lawsuit has been filed in the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. Oura, which is based in Finland, has an office in San Fransisco alongside the US HQ in Delaware. There’s no word on if or how Oura will respond to the latest legal allegations.
Samsung’s lawsuit gives us a peek into the company’s release plans for Galaxy Ring. According to the filings, Galaxy Ring is apparently entering its mass production phase later this month. If production goes well, Galaxy Ring may launch in the U.S. “in or around August of this year,” lining up with earlier reports. There’s no confirmation on when it’ll arrive in Canada. Galaxy Ring will reportedly cost between $300 and $350 USD ($410 to $479 CAD)
Source: Engadget
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