DOJ closes Samsung investigation but promises to keep an eye on them

The Department of Justice has closed its investigation of Samsung over claims that the company used its patent portfolio to exclude Apple products from the U.S. market. The Department was investigating whether Samsung was inappropriately using its Standard Essential Patents to keep Apple products from being sold in the U.S. in the ongoing battle for market power between the two mobile device companies.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday said it will close an investigation into Samsung’s use of deemed standard essential patents as a weapon against other corporations, but promises to monitor the company’s ongoing patent litigation. While the Justice Department will not take action against Samsung at this time, it did admonish the company’s use of declared essential patents as tools to more favorable licensing terms, reportsReuters. In a statement released by the DOJ, the agency noted a number of issues arise when using SEPs to block competition from selling products. This brings up questions regarding anticompetitive strategies.