It's kinda hard to prove because of the confidentiality Google uses in it's agreements with partners, but Samsung was making every indication that they would fork Android, prepping alternatives to all of Google's apps. Then, they reversed course in 2014, they signed a patent agreement with Google and started 'toning down TouchWiz'. These stories were two days apart.

Why would Samsung do this if Google wasn't leveraging it's patent portfolio?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/01/27/samgsung-googl...

http://androidandme.com/2014/01/news/samsung-may-be-toning-d...