Samsung Describes Leak Of Confidential Patent License Agreements As "Inadvertent Disclosure"

Apple gave Samsung copies of confidential patent licensing agreements with Nokia, Ericsson, Sharp, and Philips as part of the legal discovery process. The court issued a protective order that said the information could only be used by litigation counsel in the context of the patent case.

But Samsung also used the information to gain a competitive advantage in the market, Apple claims, leaking the documents to more than 90 Samsung employees and 130 unauthorized lawyers. Samsung has admitted that proper protocol wasn’t followed, but claims it was an “inadvertent disclosure” that “we deeply regret.”