Samsung isn't waiting for Oura to file any lawsuits over patent claims for its upcoming smart ring. Instead, the Korean company filed its own lawsuit against Oura in advance, seeking a “declaratory judgment” and arguing that the Galaxy Ring does not infringe 5 of Oura’s patents.
The lawsuit alleges that Oura has a pattern of filing patent lawsuits against competitors based on “features common to virtually all smart rings.” Specifically, the lawsuit refers to sensors, electronics, batteries, and ratings based on metrics collected from the sensors. The suit lists instances in which Oura has sued competitors such as Ultrahuman, Circular and RingConn, sometimes before they even entered the U.S. market.
For these reasons, Samsung expects to be the next target of Oura's lawsuit. Shortly after the Galaxy Ring announcement, Oura sent an unannounced statement to multiple publishers, touting the strength of its intellectual property portfolio and noting that it has “100 issued patents, 270 pending patent applications, and more than 130 registered trademarks.” The lawsuit also cites a CNBC interview with Oura CEO Tom Hale, in which he said the company would closely monitor the Samsung Galaxy Ring and “take appropriate action.” Samsung goes on to cite several other instances in which Hale and other Oura executives have touted the strength of the company's intellectual property portfolio — and the fact that it is willing to take action to protect its patents.
Oura has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also contains some interesting facts about the upcoming Galaxy Ring device. It notes that hardware development was completed in mid-May, mass production is scheduled for mid-June, and it is expected to hit the US market “around August of this year.” The lawsuit also includes a screenshot of the Samsung Health app, which shows the Energy Score feature based on metrics such as sleep, activity, heart rate and heart rate variability.
Source: The Verge
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