Samsung has sued Finnish startup Oura to preempt potential intellectual property disputes ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the Galaxy Ring. The lawsuit, reported by The Verge, suggests that Oura’s history of aggressive patent enforcement against smaller wearable tech competitors could extend to Samsung, in the near future.
“Oura’s actions and public statements demonstrate that Oura will continue asserting patent infringement against other entrants into the US smart ring market, including Samsung,” reads the lawsuit. It highlights that Oura’s immediate response to the announcement of the Galaxy Ring was to underscore the strength of its patent portfolio.
Samsung’s legal filing claims that the Galaxy Ring does not infringe on Oura’s patents. However, it describes a pattern of aggressive intellectual property protection by Oura. The lawsuit notes that Oura has previously sued smaller competitors like Ultrahuman, Circular, and RingConn as soon as, or even before, they entered the US market.
The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. While Oura is based in Finland, it operates a US wing in Delaware and maintains offices in San Francisco with more than 50 employees.
The legal documents also shed light on the launch timeline of the Galaxy Ring. Samsung first showcased the Galaxy Ring in a render in January and then revealed physical models at the Mobile World Congress in February. According to the lawsuit, Samsung finalised the design of the Galaxy Ring in mid-May 2024 and plans to start mass production in mid-June.
The Galaxy Ring will be available in the US around August 2024 which corroborates reports that Samsung is likely to make it official at a summer Unpacked event in July.
Follow FE Tech Bytes on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook.
