Over 60 models of Samsung smartphones banned in Russia

Russia bans dozens of Samsung smartphones

South Korean company Samsung Electronics and its Russian subsidiary were prohibited from importing into Russia, offering and selling 61 models of its smartphones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. This decision was made by the Moscow Arbitration Court as part of a patent trial, RIA Novosti reports.

The case was filed after Switzerland's Sqwin SA opposed the use of the Samsung Pay payment service in Russia. The Swiss company claimed that the service violated its right for an invention "System of electronic payments" which was protected by the Russian patent law.

In July, a Russian court prohibited Samsung Electronics Rus Company and Samsung Electronics from selling products that supported Samsung Pay. However, the models of the devices were not specified in the court ruling. As a result, in August the plaintiff filed a motion indicating that the court had not fully considered the amended requirements.

The new decision, issued on October 19, contains the list of specific models. It includes smartphones manufactured since 2017. The devices, the court ruling notes, when used in accordance with their purpose, automatically use the patented technology. 

According to Rospatent (the Russian Federal Agency for Patents), the rights for the invention belong to Viktor Gulchenko, who lives in Switzerland. The patent holder is Sqwin SA. At the same time, the registration date of the patent is indicated as April 23, 2019, and the starting date of its validity is December 2, 2013. 

The description to the invention states that it relates to systems for making online payments using the buyer's mobile device and the seller's cash register system.

The defendants appealed the decision of the first instance and did not come into legal force. Previously, experts did not rule out that Apple Pay and Google Pay may also be prohibited in Russia should Samsung fail to overturn it. 

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Author`s name Editorial Team
Editor Dmitry Sudakov
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