Samsung demands $6m as it attacks Apple’s FaceTime video calling

Samsung alleges that Apple's FaceTime infringes on video transmission patents. Photograph: Apple

Samsung has claimed that Apple’s FaceTime feature infringes on its video call patent, as the trial between the two technology companies intensifies.

The Samsung return follows three weeks of defence against infringement claims by Apple, which is seeking $2bn from its number one competitor in the smartphone market.

Samsung alleged Apple’s FaceTime app for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 infringes on a patent for the compression of video before transmission over a mobile phone network, demonstrating that Apple’s software compresses video before sending it to the FaceTime video call recipient.

'Revolutionary'

Prof Dan Schonfeld from the computer engineering department of University of Illinois at Chicago described the video-transmission patent, which Samsung acquired for $2.2m in 2011 from inventors Michael Freeman and family, as “revolutionary” as people may not have considered it possible before in 1994 when the patent was awarded.

Apple’s lawyers claimed that the technology described in the patent was obsolete.

Samsung also claims that Apple’s media gallery app infringes on a patent the Korean company bought from Hitachi revolving the classification of images and video on a digital library.

Combined, Samsung is demanding Apple pays around $6m for the alleged infringement by Apple.

Apple declined to comment on the trial.

Slide-to-Unlock and others

The Samsung litigation is in response to the lawsuit brought by Apple demanding that Samsung pay around $40 per device ($2bn in total) for infringement of five patents covering mobile software, including the “slide-to-unlock” feature.

If Apple is successful, similar lawsuits could be brought against other Android handset makers as the patents at issue are part of Google’s Android software. Apple cannot sue Google directly, as infringement only occurs when the Android code is implemented in hardware.

Apple claims the following Samsung products now infringe on Apple patents: Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy SII, Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy SII Skyrocket, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Tab II 10.1, and Stratosphere.

Samsung claims the following Apple products infringe on Samsung patents: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPod touch (5th generation), iPod touch (4th generation), and MacBook Pro.