EU demands Samsung offer new concessions to end patent antitrust charges
Google first took a swipe from European antitrust regulators on Monday for failing to impress on its antitrust case, in which the company is accused of abusing its position in the search and advertising market.
Now it's Samsung's turn.
The Korea-based electronics giant was warned by the same antitrust regulators to step up and revise its concessions, reports Reuters, which would ultimately see the firm avoid a fine of up to $18.3 billion — or 10 percent of its 2012 global annual revenue.
The European Commission confirmed that it asked Samsung to improve its concessions package, but like before it declined to offer further details.
Samsung is accused of using patent lawsuits to get ahead of Apple, its archrival in the smartphone space. The smartphone maker sought lawsuits and sales injunctions in various European countries in 2011 against Apple's use of its patents.
But because those patents are deemed "standards-essential," in that they are required for interoperability between devices and necessary to the industry, the EU hit back claiming the move was anti-competitive.
Samsung and Apple continue to be locked at the horns over design and functionality patents in more than 10 countries as they continue to out-do each other the smartphone space.