Microsoft had filed a lawsuit in August against Samsung for $6.9 million in unpaid interest from the previous year. The lawsuit was finally unsealed on Friday, and we can now see some of the details involved.
The most eye-popping number is the $1 billion Samsung paid Microsoft under its patent agreement. Part of this is Samsung licensing agreements with Microsoft for patents infringed in their Android phones. Samsung claims that Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia breaches the contract it signed with Microsoft. The Redmond tech giant is asking the court to uphold the contract, and have Samsung pay interest.
This is just another example of awkward lawsuits in the tech world. Samsung makes many Microsoft products, so they do have mutually beneficial goals and incentives to work together. And while Microsoft undoubtedly wishes it could make more money with their Windows Phone platform, $1 billion dollars annually is not something a company will leave on the table without a fight.
