Samsung, Renesas and WiPQTUS Settle Wireless PowerShare Case

Samsung has settled a four-year US patent infringement lawsuit over the Wireless PowerShare feature on its Galaxy phones, the companies said in a joint filing. Samsung, chip supplier Renesas Electronics America, and WiPQTUS submitted a joint agreement that withdraws all claims as part of an out of court settlement.

The parties withdrew all claims and agreed not to file another lawsuit over the same issue.

The filing does not say whether the settlement includes a licence or other financial terms, and the court did not issue a ruling on whether any infringement occurred. The agreement ends the litigation without a judicial determination, and the specific terms were not disclosed.

Wireless PowerShare lets users charge compatible Galaxy Watches, Galaxy Buds, other Galaxy phones, and Qi compatible devices by placing them on the back of a handset. The feature first appeared on the Galaxy S10 in 2019. The original complaint also named phones from the Galaxy S20, S21, and S22 series, the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 20, and the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold series.

WiPQTUS filed the lawsuit in February 2023 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The company accused Wireless PowerShare of infringing US patent 10,038,339, a 2018 patent titled "Dual Mode Wireless Power Receiver." WiPQTUS is a non practicing entity and does not make or sell products of its own.

Renesas Electronics America, which supplied wireless charging chips for the phones named in the complaint, joined the case and filed a countersuit arguing that its chips did not infringe the patent. Under the settlement, the parties also agreed they would not bring another suit on the same issue.

The judge is expected to formally close the case in the next few days.