Samsung hit with $192 mln US patent verdict over wireless chargers

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) owes an inventor's company more than $192.1 million for infringing five patents related to wireless device charging, a jury in Texas federal court has determined.

The jury on Friday agreed with the patent owner Mojo Mobility, that chargers for Samsung smartphones, smartwatches and other devices violate Mojo's patent rights in wireless charging technology developed by electrical engineer Afshin Partovi.

The jury also found that Samsung's infringement was willful, which could lead a judge to multiply the award by up to three times.

An attorney and spokespeople for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict on Monday. Mojo attorney Steven Pollinger of McKool Smith said that the company was "pleased the jury recognized the facts and the issues at stake."

Mojo sued Samsung in 2022. The lawsuit said that Partovi and other Mojo employees flew to Samsung headquarters in Korea several times in 2013 to discuss a potential deal for Mojo's technology.

According to Mojo, Samsung later used Mojo's inventions in wireless chargers for hundreds of products including Galaxy smartphones, smartwatches and earbuds without a license after their talks broke down.

Samsung denied the allegations and argued that the patents were invalid.

The Korean tech giant was hit with a $142 million verdict in a separate patent case over 5G wireless technology in the same East Texas court in April.

The case is Mojo Mobility Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:22-cv-00398.