Confidential Agreement Ends Apple and HTC’s Patent Feud
Apple and HTC ended their 32-month intellectual property battle Saturday, dismissing all lawsuits and announcing a confidential, 10-year license agreement that extends to current and future patents held by the tech giants.
the first paent by apple extended by the Anroid device maker.
intellectual property expert Florian Mueller told Wired by e-mail. “This is good news for consumers because it will allow HTC to focus on competing with Samsung and other Android device makers while compensating Apple for its contributions to innovation.”
Motorola and HTC over patent-infringement claims ranging from hardware design to user interface elements to core operating system functionalities.
At stake is the way smartphones and tablets look and operate, as well as how much they cost and where they’re available for sale as licensing fees and sales injunctions go into effect.
HTC was sued by Apple in 2010 ,over 10 patents related to user interface design. HTC was found to be in violation of one.
The conditions of the licensing agreement between the two parties are confidential, but likely hefty. With HTC being a much smaller threat, market share-wise, than other competitors like Samsung and Motorola, perhaps Apple softened its terms in order to cut its losses and dedicate money to worthier endeavors.it is kind of collaboration by both of the countries to b more innovative and competitive all around.
the HTC CEO said: