Samsung talks to BlackBerry about US$7.5b buyout: source

New York

SAMSUNG Electronics recently offered to buy BlackBerry Ltd for as much as US$7.5 billion, seeking its valuable patents as it battles Apple in the corporate market, according to a person familiar with the matter and documents seen by Reuters.

South Korea's Samsung proposed an initial price range of US$13.35 to US$15.49 per share, representing a premium of 38 per cent to 60 per cent over BlackBerry's current trading price, the source said on Wednesday.