Samsung Electronics: Google Mobile Agreement
How John S. Kim led negotiations for Samsung Electronics' worldwide agreement with Google covering the distribution of Google applications and operating-system technology on Samsung smartphones.
The matter
As Senior Legal Counsel at Samsung Electronics, John S. Kim led negotiations for the company's worldwide agreement with Google covering the distribution of Google applications and operating-system technology on Samsung smartphones.
Why it was demanding
A single negotiated arrangement governed what shipped on the handset, worldwide. The matter sat where software distribution, mobile operating-system technology and global commercial contracting meet, between two of the largest participants in the smartphone industry. Its significance lies in that scope: one agreement, applying everywhere the product was sold.
The role
Mr. Kim led the negotiation from inside Samsung Electronics, reconciling the commercial requirements of the business with the contractual rights and obligations on both sides.
Relevance today
Agreements that decide what technology ships inside a product, and on what terms, are now routine for companies far smaller than these two. The Law Office of John S. Kim advises on technology licensing and intellectual property transactions and on the commercial contracts that carry them.