Samsung denies infringing LG patents with the Galaxy S4

KOREAN PHONE MAKER Samsung has denied infringing LG patents with its flagship Samsung Galaxy S4 handset.

LG and Samsung look set to become the next manufacturers to get embroiled in a patent row, with LG set to investigate whether the Samsung Galaxy S4 infringes its patents.

The companies' respective flagship phones, the LG Optimus G Pro and Samsung Galaxy S4, are at the center of the issue. Both phones feature a similar software feature that lets users pause a video by looking away from the screen, called Smart Video and Smart Pause, and LG claims that it thought of this first.

Yonhap News reports that LG applied for the relevant patent four years ago and plans to check whether Samsung's latest flagship smartphone infringes its patent when the handset is released next month.

However, Samsung told The INQUIRER that it has developed such technologies internally, and has not infringed LG patents.

A spokesperson said, "The recognition technologies, such as Smart Pause and Smart Scroll, embedded in our smartphone products are our unique proprietary technologies that we have developed internally at Samsung."

This isn't the first rivalry we've seen between LG and Samsung. Last week, LG undercut Samsung's Galaxy S4 billboards in Times Square by placing its own, similar-designed adverts above them. The two companies have quarreled about OLED technology, with Samsung claiming that LG had stolen its company secrets regarding the screen technology. However, last month, Samsung dropped its OLED injunction request against LG.

We've contacted LG, but had not heard back at the time of publication. µ