Samsung has been hit with a major legal setback in the U.S. after a federal jury ordered the Korean tech giant to pay nearly $112 million (A$169 million) to Japanese electronics company Maxell for infringing on multiple patents.

The verdict, handed down by a Texas federal jury, found that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and SmartThings devices violated three Maxell patents related to unlocking functions, information processing, and multimedia reproduction technologies.

The dispute stems from a licensing agreement originally signed in 2011 between Samsung and Hitachi (Maxell’s predecessor), allowing Samsung to use a portfolio of patents for a 10-year period.

That agreement expired in 2021 but Maxell claimed that Samsung continued using the protected technologies without renewing the licence or reaching a new deal.

After failed negotiations, Maxell filed lawsuits in 2023 across several jurisdictions, including the U.S., Japan, Germany, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Samsung has denied the infringement claims and argued the patents were invalid. While Maxell sought around US$130 million in damages, the jury awarded US$111.9 million.

Samsung has the option to appeal the verdict, and a final ruling could take months or longer.

The ruling marks yet another big patent blow for Samsung in East Texas. Last month, the company was also hit with a US$279 million verdict in a separate case filed by Headwater Research, which accused Samsung of infringing patents related to wireless communication technologies.