Apple and HTC Settle Lawsuits, Smartphone Patent Fights Continue
By Rob Scott
November 12, 2012
November 12, 2012
- At least one patent battle in the smartphone wars is finally over. Apple and HTC reached a settlement over the weekend to dismiss all current lawsuits the companies have against each other.
- Additionally, the companies have inked a 10-year cross-licensing deal that grants rights to current and future patents held by each party. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
- Apple sued HTC in 2010, claiming that the Taiwanese manufacturer infringed on patents related to the iPhone. HTC, in turn, accused Apple of infringing several of its mobile technology patents.
- “The deal was the first settlement between Apple and a maker of devices that use Android, an operating system that has rapidly swallowed most of the smartphone market and threatened Apple’s position in the mobile business in the process,” reports The New York Times. “Other patent lawsuits continue around the globe, including far more significant ones between Apple and Samsung, by far the biggest maker of Android smartphones.”
- While the deal may suggest that Apple CEO Tim Cook is eager to end the distraction and risks of patent fights, it may not necessarily be a sign that Apple will settle its fight with Samsung.
- “The stakes in Apple’s dispute with Samsung are far higher than they were in its battle with HTC,” notes the article. “Samsung ranked No. 1 in smartphone market share during the third quarter of this year, shipping 56.3 million of the devices, while Apple was second with 26.9 million smartphones, according to estimates by IDC. HTC, in contrast, was fifth, shipping 7.3 million phones.”
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