Apple and Samsung agree to drop all patent lawsuits outside the U.S.
August 6, 2014
Apple and Samsung have agreed to end all patent lawsuits they've filed against each other outside the U.S.
In a joint statement issued by the two companies, they announced that they're abandoning claims in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the U.K. As noted by Bloomberg:
The agreement shows Apple and Samsung may be nearing a conclusion to what has been a drawn-out and occasionally nasty worldwide patent fight, which has sprouted alongside the booming market for touch-screen smartphones. Apple has accused Samsung of copying its iPhone designs, while Samsung has countered that Apple is using pieces of its wireless-transmission technology without permission. Neither has won a decisive decision and judges have repeatedly urged the two companies to reach a settlement rather than play out their dispute in court.Today's announcement comes just over a month after Apple and Samsung agreed to drop their appeals in their patent trial at the U.S. International Trade Commission, suggesting that the iPhone maker was no longer looking to secure an import ban on the South Korean company's infringing phones. However, Apple and Samsung pointed out in their statement that there's still no cross-licensing deal between the two companies and that their legal battles are not yet over. In particular, their patent lawsuits in the U.S. are unaffected by their newly announced agreement.
