S. Korea to ease online game ‘shutdown law’

[THE INVESTOR] The South Korean government on July 18 decided to ease regulations on the gaming industry, such as revising the online game “shutdown law,” by leaving in to the choice of the gamers’ parents. According to the plans drawn up as part of the government’s strategy for boosting the game industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to lift the curfew imposed on underage users from accessing online games late at night. PororoEnacted in 2011 to curb video game addiction a

July 19, 2016

[DECODED: SAMSUNG] Ownership structure

July 18, 2016

Antitrust watchdog disapproves SKT-CJ HelloVision merger

 [THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said on July 18 that it has decided to officially oppose the planned merger between SK Broadband, an IPTV unit of SK Telecom, and CJ HelloVision, the nation’s No. cable TV operator, citing monopoly concerns in the media and telecom markets.After holding a meeting early in the day, the Fair Trade Commission announced its final decision, wrapping up a reviewing session that lasted more than seven months.CJ Hellovision headquarter“The FTC has decided

July 18, 2016

US Supreme Court to hear Samsung’s iPhone patent appeal on Oct. 11

[THE INVESTOR] The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a drawn-out legal battle between Samsung Electronics and Apple on Oct. 11, the court announced recently as it posted its schedule for the October 2016 term. In March, the court announced it would hear the case, the first time the top court has looked at a design patent case since the 1800s. The rare decision comes after Samsung filed a request with the court last year to reexamine the case that it lost to Apple, which resulted in th

July 18, 2016

Samsung SDS denies merger with Samsung C&T

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung SDS, the IT solutions unit of Samsung Group, on July 18 once again denied speculation that it will spin off its logistics business to merge it with Samsung C&T, the group’s construction and trading unit and de facto holding company. “We have not been considering selling or splitting our logistics business to be merged with Samsung C&T,” the company said in a regulatory filing in the day. “We have no plan to do so in the future.” Samsung SDS headquarters in Jamsil, southern

July 18, 2016

Samsung to supply connected car solution to AT&T from August

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics will supply its own connected-car solution Samsung Connect Auto to US telecom behemoth AT&T from August in its latest push to make inroads into the futuristic car market.According to news reports on July 18, AT&T will offer the service based on a monthly payment plan. After gauging market reactions, Samsung aims to diversify corporate clients in the coming months. Samsung Connect AutoThe Korean tech giant first unveiled the Connect Auto solution during the Mobi

July 18, 2016

Samsung joins US gov’t body for next-generation tech

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics announced on July 18 that it will become a board member of the Advanced Wireless Research Initiative, led by the US government to facilitate next generation wireless technologies and develop a faster 5G mobile network.The new project will include contributions from over 400 researchers and tech and mobile majors like Nokia, Qualcomm, Intel, Oracle, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.Samsung Electronics will share its expertise in 5G network architecture and the

July 18, 2016

Samsung’s PCs rank No. 1 in Brazil

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics has become the most popular PC brand in Brazil, according to local media on July 17. The Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, based on its annual brand survey, reported that Samsung grabbed the top spot among all PC brands, beating its American rivals Apple and Dell. Last year, Apple ranked No. 1, while Samsung and Dell shared second place. Samsung’s feat came amid a slump in the local and global PC markets. The sales of all desktops and laptops

July 17, 2016