Samsung Confirms Galaxy Ring Launch Through Its Legal Pursuit Against Oura Ring, August Launch Expected

Users have been intrigued by the upcoming Galaxy Ring and its possible launch ever since its brief teaser at the Galaxy Unpacked event and then a sneak peek at the MWC. We have been speculating how Samsung would most likely roll out the wearable at the next Unpacked event, but nothing has been confirmed by the company. However, the confirmation came at last, but it was done in an unusual way – through a legal pursuit against Oura for its smart ring.

Samsung is preparing a lawsuit against Oura before Galaxy Ring’s launch to ensure no infringement and legal complications come up

According to Bloomberg Law, Samsung is playing safe by pursuing a legal ruling before the release of the smart ring. This proactive approach ensures no legal complications emerge and that the wearable does not violate any infringements or patents of Oura. The electronics manufacturer is going forward with a legal pursuit with California’s federal court, which declares that the wearable does not breach any patents for Oura and instead has standard features that are the basis for any smart ring.

The reason for this far-sighted initiative by Samsung can be attributed to the history of Oura pursuing legal actions against other competing brands in the wearable industry for infringing the IP rights of the company. Since Oura pioneered the smart rings, it has reserved many intellectual property and legal patents.

This first-mover advantage means the company is exploiting its rights and trying to form a monopoly by challenging other smart ring brands before entering the market. The company has targeted many prominent manufacturers, including Ultraham, Circular, and even RingConn, for the features of their smart rings that violate Oura’s patents.

Samsung is keeping in mind Oura’s tendency to block other smart ring companies from developing their position by moving ahead with a legal pursuit. The company fears that Oura’s move in the future might put the sales of Galaxy Ring at a substantial risk. The legal claims picked up by Oura focus on features that are common in all fitness and health monitors, such as the score to know how well you are achieving your fitness goal.

The South Korean company is not wrong in its preemptive efforts. The day the Galaxy Ring was showcased, the CEO of Oura reiterated that Oura has the strongest IP portfolio. He did not stop here, as Tom Hale even went ahead and directly mentioned how the Galaxy Ring’s development would be monitored for violations and relevant action would be taken if needed.

Samsung’s legal action to safeguard its upcoming product also revealed the launch time frame for the Galaxy Ring, which would be around August in the United States. Production is said to start in mid-June. It would be interesting to see how Oura reacts to the legal document. Given its past trends, we believe it would try to legally defeat any competition that could rattle its position in the segment.