Apple and Samsung announced in a joint statement that they have agreed to end patent litigation outside the US. The two companies have been engaged in patent disputes in nine countries outside the US, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, UK, France and Italy.
Both organisations have been at loggerheads with one another over alleged patent fraud — Apple claimed that Samsung copied its iPhone design, while Samsung hit back stating that Apple infringed upon its wireless transmission patents.
Patent litigation will continue between the two smartphone giants in the US as Samsung and Apple have announced that they will not be venturing into any licensing agreements in the country. Apple already managed to secure over $1 billion in damages in two patent related lawsuits thus far in the US, one in 2012 for $929 million and the other earlier this year for $120 million.
Both Samsung and Apple combined have accounted for 107.2 million smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2014, with Samsung selling 74.5 million handsets and the Cupertino giant 35.2 million devices worldwide. The move to bring an end to their patent litigation outside the US stems from the fact that neither organization has managed to secure an outright victory thus far. While there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for the patent disputes within the US, today's settlement at least shows that both organisations are willing to negotiate to a certain extent.
