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Samsung and Apple agree to end all patent disputes outside of the United States

Men pose with Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4 smartphones in photo illustration in Zenica

Samsung and Apple just announced that they have agreed to drop all patent suits against each other in countries outside the United States, Bloomberg reports. The two companies will drop suits against each other in Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, the U.K., France and Italy. This agreement does not include any licensing agreements, though. This has no effect on United States battles either.

In a joint statement, the two companies had the following to say:

“Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States. This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

Apple and Samsung have slowly been making peace with each other recently. In June, the two companies agreed to drop their appeals a patent infringement case. Google and Apple also agreed to drop all patent suits involving Motorola Mobility in May. In 2012, Apple secured a $1 billion victory over Samsung in the United States, but despite this, disputes have continued between the two companies.

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Comments

  1. Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

    *jaw on ground*

    This news I wasn’t expecting today… I wonder if it’s because Samsung has Apple over a barrel outside the US (which I highly doubt), or because Apple knows the hurricane they’re about to unleash upon Samsung and don’t give a hoot anymore?

    Wonder how the market will react to this tomorrow; after hours trading AAPL is up 0.35% so far…

    • Dave Huntley - 10 years ago

      Not sure how Samsung has Apple over a barrel, IOS loses market share as market expands, but Apple’s sales increase. Most of Samsungs sales are low end phones. Apple really has a small line, all premium. You cannot compare Apples as the say, except Apple revenues UP, Samsung DOWN. That’s what the markets look at. apple is over nobody’s barell.

      • Nycko Heimberg - 10 years ago

        Apple and Samsung simply looked what takes place in the World.
        A powerful Friend from both directions.
        Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo begins to become very dangerous.

      • The enemy of my enemy is my friend…

      • Dave Huntley - 10 years ago

        Lenovo, Huawei make low end phones. That can grab market from Samsung, but growth in China is up for Apple, not down. Apple only has a phone in the top end category, they lose nothing to cheap chinese phone makers. If those guys start making high end devices then maybe that will change, but spurious to say otherwise.

  2. drtyrell969 - 10 years ago

    And the handover of Apple to the competition is complete. Thank you Mr. Cook! So much for Steve’s dying wish to defend the patents. Then again, that’s what you were hired for right? The wholesale slaughter of Apple marketshare while claiming bogus increases.

    • rahhbriley - 10 years ago

      You are an idiot. You realize infallible Steve hand picked Cook who worked at Steve’s side for over a decade. Without cooks financial and supply chain prowess, if would not have been possible to fund the R&D or refine the process that gave us iPhone, iPad, MacBook Sir, etc. Steve was a great visionary, there’s loads of other talented people at Apple, but Tim, even before becoming CEO was one of the more important people in Apple’s History.

      • varera (@real_varera) - 10 years ago

        Right. He is an idiot and you are a genius. Now tell me, how comes Tim reverses two strategic decisions Steve made? One, not to get in bed with IBM and the second, to go thermo-nuclear on Android?

  3. varera (@real_varera) - 10 years ago

    Well, Tim continues Cook’ing at Apple.

    First, cooperation with 1984 commercial hero IBM, now truce with Samsung. Steve should be rolling ver in his coffin.

    • herb02135go - 10 years ago

      He was cast in bronze and will greet employees at the spaceship campus.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        You need to be the one cast in bronze, and made sure your lips are sealed shut and fingers melted together so you stop spewing your BS.

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com