Global technology giants have been embroiled in patent litigation in various countries' high courts for years — most significantly within the last decade as mobile technology has come to the forefront of consumer and enterprise markets. The household names going head-to-head in the U.S. have most notably been Apple and Samsung, but recent developments in Europe have thrown the spotlight on Samsung's patent practices on that continent as well.

The South Korean phone manufacturer holds the top spot worldwide for smartphone shipments; research firm Gartner reported in November that the company maintained its 32 percent global market share over the year prior. But the European Commission is undergoing an investigation into whether or not Samsung has used patent litigation to preserve this dominant market share, particularly with regard to its European rivals.

Unsurprisingly, this investigation is related to Samsung's legal battle with Apple in December 2012 in which both companies were tangled in a host of suits — each trying to find the other guilty of patent violation. The European Union's resulting investigation has explored Samsung's proceedings, and in the event that the company breached EU rules, Samsung could face hefty fines.