The patent battle may be moving towards ashes rather than fire, as what was once addressed by Steve Jobs as a thermonuclear legal war seems to be cooling down. In an interesting move that may transition the smartphone wars altogether, Apple and HTC have negotiated the terms of a settlement. Though the exact terms of this negotiation remain unknown, it seems that HTC had to part with a substantial sum of money, which, as per the spokesperson of the company will not make any significant difference to the company’s balance sheet. The companies have agreed to a licensed agreement up to the period of 10 years that will allow both parties to makes use of or share patents currently existing, or those in the future.
HTC was the first Android handset maker sued by Apple over allegedly copying their designs. These charges were filed against HTC in the March of 2010 in a federal court in Delaware as well as before the International Trade Commission. The patent battle, however, had just started since Apple then sued Samsung in 2011. Apple has always chosen to target smartphone makers rather than Google, since Google itself doesn’t manufacture any devices itself. It’s interesting to note that Apple has also targeted Nexus devices, which led to the Galaxy Nexus being delayed earlier this year.
Though it is said that Steve Jobs, the man who made Apple what it is today, vowed to destroy Android and deemed it as a stolen product, the new CEO of Apple Tim Cook is more than anxious to end the smartphone wars as he is disturbed by the unnecessary risks and distraction that they involve. In a statement made recently, he expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Apple has finally negotiated a settlement with HTC.
Though some analysts assume that Apple is ending its disputes with HTC, this move may also suggest that Apple is stepping away from disputes with Samsung as well. However, Samsung is a much bigger threat to Apple than HTC, and Apple’s continued tiffs with the company in the United Kingdom may indicate otherwise.
This deal, however, is the first of its kind where Apple has consented to negotiate and settle with an Android maker. It has also been rumoured that HTC will pay $6-8 to Apple for every Android device sold in licensing fees, which will obviously bring in a healthy amount of revenue for the Cupertino based company.
