Samsung hit with lawsuit over battery prediction algorithm

Pretty much every smartphone out there has a battery section in the settings menu that shows you how much battery you have used and how much you have left. It seems like a standard feature regardless of whether you’re using Android or iOS, but it turns out that a company over in the Netherlands isn’t too thrilled with Samsung’s use of it.

On the 20th of May, a Dutch company K. Mirza LLC has filed a lawsuit against Samsung over an alleged patent infringement for using the tech in their phones.. Apparently this is because the algorithm used was actually developed by a Dutch research institute called Nederlandse Organisatie voor Togepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoe (TNO). According to the lawsuit filing:

“The prediction is based on algorithms that analyze user behavior. Deriving the remaining battery life by analyzing user behavior is more precise than, for example, the manufacturer conducting a lot of time-consuming tests during product development.”

What’s interesting is that this algorithm is also used not just by Samsung, but by other smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi and Google, meaning that should this lawsuit be successful, it could set a precedent for future lawsuits against other smartphone makers that might be using this tech in their phones.

It is unclear how Samsung plans to respond to the lawsuit as they have yet to officially comment on it, so we’ll just have to wait and see how this one plays out.

Source: Android Central