Samsung Devices Infringe Tessera Semiconductor Patents, Says ITC Complaint

Tessera Technologies is seeking a ban on imports of various Samsung mobile devices that allegedly infringe two Tessera patents, the semiconductor packaging technology supplier said in a Tariff Act Section 337 complaint (login required) filed Thursday at the International Trade Commission in docket 3262. Tessera seeks exclusion and cease and desist orders against Samsung devices containing “wafer-level” packaged (WLP) semiconductors, including the “power management IC” chips used in the “flagship” Galaxy 8 and Note8 smartphones, said the complaint. Tessera believes “these exemplary Samsung products are representative of many other Samsung products imported, sold for importation, and/or sold in the United States after importation by Samsung that feature the same or substantially similar infringing functionality as the exemplary accused products,” it said. A “key benefit” of WLP is “reduced package size,” it said. Tessera’s “innovative packaging techniques are leading technologies in the field of wafer-level packaging,” and are based on U.S. patents that Tessera now owns, and the Samsung products are infringing, it said. The patents (Nos. 6,784,557 and 6,954,001) were published in 2004-2005 and originally assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the name of Panasonic’s parent company until shareholders of Matsushita Electric voted in 2008 to change its name to Panasonic Corp. (see 0806270182). Samsung didn't comment Friday.