"Patent War Between Apple and HTC Ends with Settlement"

One of Apple’s legal battle against Android, Google’s mobile operating system, draws to a close as the company co-founded by the late Steve Jobs and Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC agreed to dismiss patent infringement lawsuits hurled against each other, ending a bitter two-year feud.

Back then, Apple accused HTC of copying the iPhone, the same accusation to other Android-toting smartphones of Samsung and Motorola. On the other side, HTC told Apple to stop its patent-trolling ways.

Both companies said their settlement includes a 10-year license agreement, which grants rights to current and future patents of Apple and HTC. They declined to disclose the monetary details, but it is widely believed that HTC is paying Apple as part of the settlement.

In a statement, HTC’s spokesperson Sally Julien said that her company does not expect the deal to have “an adverse material impact on the financials of the company.”

Analysts say the settlement could be a sign that Apple’s new CEO and Jobs’ successor, Tim Cook, is eager to “end the distraction and risks of patent fights.”

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” Cook said in a prepared statement about the deal. “We will continue to stay laser-focused on product innovation.”

Source: New York Times