HTC And Apple Settle Patent Licensing Disputes, Signs A Ten-year License Agreement

HTC and Apple today announced that they are going to dismiss all patent lawsuits against each other and sign a 10 year patent licensing agreement. This is a surprise move by both the party because they were fighting legal battles for about 33 months in courts around the world.

Here is the press release,

HTC and Apple® have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

“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.”

There are lots of speculation around terms of the settlement. I found the following one little interesting from The Verge,

Lastly, I am very curious to know how much HTC’s new status as the lead partner for Windows Phone played a part in sealing these negotiations, if at all. Apple and Microsoft have a very friendly patent relationship, and if HTC has decided to focus on Windows Phone instead of Android it could have certainly helped wrap things up. That’s total and complete speculation on my part, but it’s something to consider.

What do you think?