Samsung asked to pay $15.7 million to someone who admits he didn't invent Bluetooth

A federal jury in Texas, US has asked Samsung to pay $15.7 million to Rembrandt Wireless Technologies after finding that Korean electronics giant infringed on two Rembrandt patents covering Bluetooth technology.

Interestingly, Gordon Bremer, and his employer, Rembrandt have admitted in court that they had nothing to do with the invention of Bluetooth. He has nothing to do with Bluetooth 2.0 specification or even read about it until years after Bluetooth went mainstream.

“Bremer may be getting paid a hefty royalty by Samsung, after a jury ruled that the Korean electronics company infringed Bremer’s patents. He stands to get 2.5 percent of the $15.7 million verdict won by his employer, Rembrandt IP, one of the oldest and most successful “patent trolls,” reports Ars Technica .

Previously, Bremer had sued Samsung over two patents covering a similar technology that allowed computer modems to instantly communicate with each other. Back then people used modems that would take a long time to connect. As per what was revealed at the trial, Bremer’s patent allowed modems to sync more quickly, " adds the report.

On the other hand, the Bluetooth 2.0 standard that allows Bluetooth devices to sync quickly was invented by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

Rembrandt is a Pennsylvania-based business technology company that  sued Samsung and Blackberry in 2013. BlackBerry  reportedly  settled before the trial.