Marshall, Texas — A federal jury has awarded Headwater Research LLC $278.8 million in a patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. The jury found that Samsung had unlawfully used technology critical to mobile communications in its smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and televisions.
The verdict came on April 25 from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, located in Marshall. The jury concluded that Samsung had infringed upon Headwater’s U.S. Patent Nos. 8,406,733 and 9,198,117.
Headwater, headquartered in Tyler, Texas, initiated the lawsuit against Samsung on March 10, 2023. The lawsuit accused Samsung of misusing patented technologies that play a pivotal role in reducing data consumption and network congestion, enhancing battery life by lowering power usage, and ensuring continuous connectivity for users.
Gregory Raleigh, who is the primary inventor behind the disputed patents, co-founded Headwater Research in 2011. The company focuses on developing mobile operating systems and cloud technology that form the backbone of the mobile phone and application industries.
A noted scientist and entrepreneur, Raleigh has an extensive academic background, holding a PhD and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, along with a bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He has been credited with over 350 U.S. and international patents across various technological fields. His innovations in multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) radio communication have become integral parts of modern wireless standards, including 4G and 5G systems.
The lawsuit outlines the historical development of the contested technologies, detailing their implementation in Samsung products stemming from a previous collaboration among Headwater, ItsOn Inc., and Sprint. According to the complaint, Samsung continued to deploy these patented technologies without proper authorization, resulting in direct and indirect infringement claims against the tech giant.
From 2013 to 2016, ItsOn worked under a non-disclosure agreement with Sprint and Samsung to incorporate Headwater’s patented technology into Samsung devices. As part of this partnership, ItsOn’s software, which included Headwater’s inventions, was installed in various wireless devices sold by Sprint, specifically those manufactured by Samsung.
Sprint required Android device manufacturers, including Samsung, to integrate ItsOn’s software into their device operating systems. Throughout this partnership, there were ongoing discussions and technical meetings between ItsOn and Samsung to ensure seamless incorporation of ItsOn’s solutions into Samsung’s software.
The legal team representing Headwater includes multiple attorneys from Russ August & Kabat, specializing in patent law. Samsung’s defense is led by Ruffin B. Cordell from Fish & Richardson PC, based in Washington, D.C. As of now, Cordell has not publicly commented on the jury’s decision.
Headwater Research is also pursuing patent infringement claims against several other companies, including Verizon Wireless, Nokia of America, Ericsson Inc., T-Mobile USA, and AT&T Services.
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