Microsoft and Samsung settle US contract dispute

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Microsoft and Samsung settle US contract dispute

Microsoft’s legal action against Samsung for not complying with an IP cross-licensing agreement has been settled, the two parties have revealed

Microsoft in August last year filed legal action against Samsung in the Southern District of New York for not complying with an IP cross-licensing agreement. The two parties have reached an agreement on undisclosed terms.

“Samsung and Microsoft are pleased to announce that they have ended their contract dispute in US court as well as the ICC arbitration. Terms of the agreement are confidential,” Jaewan Chi, Samsung executive vice-president, and David Howard, Microsoft corporate vice-president and deputy general counsel, said in a joint statement.

In 2011, Samsung entered into a contract with Microsoft to cross-license IP.

Howard said in a blog post in August 2014: “After becoming the leading player in the worldwide smartphone market, Samsung decided late last year to stop complying with its agreement with Microsoft. In September 2013, after Microsoft announced it was acquiring the Nokia Devices and Services business, Samsung began using the acquisition as an excuse to breach its contract. Curiously, Samsung did not ask the court to decide whether the Nokia acquisition invalidated its contract with Microsoft, likely because it knew its position was meritless.”



more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

In-house counsel say they want more visibility for the next generation of lawyers, but private practice practitioners believe jurisdictional challenges stand in their way
IP STARS, Managing IP’s accreditation title, reveals this year’s first rankings, showing how firms in Asia-Pacific are performing across a range of practice areas
A dispute over buggies, a decision on the UPC’s jurisdiction, and the formal launch of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre were among the top developments
Sofie McPherson says she is excited to work at a firm that offers an integrated approach between attorneys and litigators
Personality rights are among several measures the government must take to maximise the potential of the music licensing market, say lawyers
Pascal Faure, director general of INPI, explains why keeping a cool head is key, and discusses plans to leverage IP assets to secure funding
Lawyers at Carpmaels & Ransford explain how the healthcare sector has not simply participated in the UPC’s early years, but actively shaped it
The firm has hired former in-house counsel Quintin Cassady to lead the launch of the new office
The combined firm has strong IP credentials across the US, Middle East, UK and Europe, despite Taylor Wessing’s German and French practices not joining
Priya Nagpal, who this month became the firm’s eighth IP partner, says its cross-practice expertise in areas closely linked to IP was a key draw
Gift this article