Apple released a press announcement over the weekend, announcing that it had reached a global agreement with HTC to settle their patent dispute. The agreement results in a 10-year patent licensing agreement and a dismissal of all current lawsuits.
“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.
“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”
The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
Apple first brought action against HTC in March 2010, alleging that HTC had infringed on 20 iPhone related patents. HTC was a prominent Android device manufacturer at that time, and was also Google’s manufacturing partner for the Nexus One.
HTC filed a countersuit, alleging Apple had infringed on several of HTC’s patents with their Mac, iPhone, and iPad products.
The two-year long legal battle has resulted in product bans, and legal fees said to have topped the $100 million mark.
