It seems Apple and HTC have finally buried the hatchet over their ongoing patent disputes with the two technology giants reaching a settlement after 2 years of lawsuits and counter-suits.
In addition to settling their disputes, the two companies have agreed upon a 10-year licensing deal that applies to all former and future patents, making it extremely unlikely the two firms will come to blows again over the course of the next decade. The details of the settlement, including financial agreements, remain unknown.
“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, the head of HTC.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple said: “We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC. We will continue to stay focused on product innovation.”
This settlement puts a stop to two years of legal disputes between the companies. The two mobile giants first came to blows in March 2010 when Apple complained that HTC had violated 20 of its mobile technology patents. HTC counter-sued 2 months later with claims that Apple had violated five of their mobile patents. Neither claim was entirely successful, with Apple only succeeding in proving HTC had made two violations, and HTC’s claims being dismissed outright. HTC again filed a lawsuit against Apple in August 2011 claiming two more violations, this time of the company’s Wi-Fi-related patents. However four months later, HTC was found to have infringed on Apple’s patent for ‘data tapping’, forcing the Taiwanese firm to remove the feature from its phones. However after making these modifications, the HTC phones were allowed to be sold in the US, something that Apple wanted prevented in its lawsuit.
This patent feud is just one of many bitter legal battles being fought in the mobile industry, dubbed the “patent wars”. Apple has recently been engaged in legal battles with Samsung and Google over mobile patents.
Though aligning itself with Google’s Android platform has allowed HTC to become a major player in the global mobile space, the company has suffered a significant decline in sales since 2011. By contrast, Apple’s iPhone continues to go from strength to strength following the successful launch of its latest model, the iPhone 5.
