Apple and HTC Settle Patent Dispute, Agree to Ten Year License

[MacRumors]

Apple has posted a press release tonight, announcing that Apple and HTC have reached a global settlement on their patent dispute. The agreement has resulted in a ten-year patent licensing agreement between the companies and the dismissal of all current lawsuits. The press release includes quotes from HTC's and Apple's CEOs:

"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 filed a lawsuit against HTC in March, 2010. Apple had alleged that HTC had infringed on 20 iPhone-related patents. HTC had been a prominent player in the Android market at the time, and also represented Google's manufacturing partner for the Nexus One.

HTC had subsequently countersued Apple in 2011 and claimed that Apple had infringed on several of HTC's patents with the Mac, iPhone and iPad products.

Apple and HTC have been exchanging legal blows over the past two years with product bans and legal fees that were rumored to top $100 million. Apple recently won another high profile patent dispute in the U.S. against Samsung with a $1 billion verdict in favor of Apple.

Article Link: Apple and HTC Settle Patent Dispute, Agree to Ten Year License

[komodrone]

Laser focused ftw!

[Sixtafoua]

wow okay.
no information whatsoever?

[justperry]

So, they CAN settle.

Do that with samsung and focus on products please.

[gorskiegangsta]

Originally Posted by justperry

So, they CAN settle.

Do that with samsung and focus on products please.

Agreed. They should settle so that Apple can focus on their products and Samsung can focus on Apple's products

[Nahaz]

Originally Posted by gorskiegangsta

Agreed. They should settle so that Apple can focus on their products and Samsung can focus on Apple's products

Won't happen.

The Court of Appeal of England and Wales has ordered Apple to pay Samsung’s legal fees because Apple's apology on the website was not 'Good Enough' Apple instead of putting the apology in plain view had it scrolled off to the bottom of their website so most viewers wouldn't see it.

Gizmodo and The Verge have the story http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/10/3...-false-apology

[PJMAN2952]

Originally Posted by justperry

So, they CAN settle.

Do that with samsung and focus on products please.

This is why HTC makes great products. They don't waste time and money and sue Apple and other companies.

[wonderspark]

Wow, this makes me very pleased. Let this be the first of many such settlements, and let's all MOVE ON!

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by wonderspark

Wow, this makes me very pleased. Let this be the first of many such settlements, and let's all MOVE ON!

My guess is that there are one of three possibilities: 1) Apple knows that they can't eliminate Android altogether and is shifting to a Microsoft-like strategy of collecting royalties, 2) Apple takes an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" strategy and figures that higher HTC sales will hurt Samsung more than Apple, or 3) some combination of 1 and 2.

[barclay]

good news because htc is the best alternative in phone,if you want something different than ios

[KnightWRX]

Originally Posted by KPOM

My guess is that there are one of three possibilities: 1) Apple knows that they can't eliminate Android altogether and is shifting to a Microsoft-like strategy of collecting royalties, 2) Apple takes an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" strategy and figures that higher HTC sales will hurt Samsung more than Apple, or 3) some combination of 1 and 2.

4) Apple is realising they are losing more than they are winning in the lawsuit game and refocusing their efforts and cutting their losses.

[DeathChill]

Originally Posted by KnightWRX

4) Apple is realising they are losing more than they are winning in the lawsuit game and refocusing their efforts and cutting their losses.

I'm sure Apple isn't doing this to win money. This is about stopping or slowing the competition. I definitely don't agree with them ever going after HTC at all.

[KnightWRX]

Originally Posted by DeathChill

I'm sure Apple isn't doing this to win money. This is about stopping or slowing the competition. I definitely don't agree with them ever going after HTC at all.

And now they are realising they are not slowing down the competition, and its costing them both patents and bad PR (the UK text for one).

So I stand by what I said. They are losing more than they are winning and no, I didn't mean money.

[HiRez]

1. Lawsuits breed uncertainty.
2. Wall Street hates uncertainty.
3. More lawsuits = depressed stock prices.

Glad to see this, hopefully Apple can reach settlements with others as well.

[sazivad]

Originally Posted by KnightWRX

Apple is realising they are losing more than they are winning in the lawsuit game…

By what metric?

Public viewpoint of Apple? Maybe, but I kinda think not.

Money? I haven't really been keeping track of all the wins and losses, but they did win that $1B from Samsung (appeal pending).

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Originally Posted by HiRez

More lawsuits = depressed stock prices.

Tell me about it.

[fertilized-egg]

Originally Posted by sazivad

By what metric?

Public viewpoint of Apple? Maybe, but I kinda think not.

I always think it mainly matters to the people who hated Apple in the first place and use the lawsuits as a weapon in the arguments. I haven't seen the same type of complaints online after Microsoft went to squeeze a few dollars out of virtually all major Android makers as well as getting into legal fight with Motorola. Mainly because it's no longer fashionable for the majority of the online crowd to hate on Microsoft. We've seen the same thing happen when the Nintendo part of Foxconn used underage interns. Nobody cared and there was no Mike Daisy, nobody was arguing against Nintendo WiiU based on the Chinese labor, which certainly would've been very different if it was a Foxconn factory that makes Apple products.

Looking at the outcome it seems like HTC is paying a small amount of $ to Apple based on HTC's statement. I wonder what the structure of the deal is.

However at this point HTC looks really desperate. Their revenue fell really quickly and it'll be difficult for them to compete against Samsung's hardware, better brand awareness and the massive marketing budget. It looks like they are trying to run away to the Windows Phone world but not sure how that'll play out since Samsung could put an extra emphasis there anytime they'd like.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by sazivad

[/COLOR]
Tell me about it.

Nice how you let off Friday's stellar results.

I bought 10,000 shares in the morning under $535 and sold them in the afternoon at $553! In one day I made enough to buy another Ferrari!

So what was that you were saying about Apple's stock? I love Aapl!

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by KnightWRX

4) Apple is realising they are losing more than they are winning in the lawsuit game and refocusing their efforts and cutting their losses.

Then why would HTC settle? Also, if that were the case, they'd have settled with Samsung. Apple is having less success outside the US, but there is a very good chance that a significant judgment against Samsung will stand. Plus, Apple did have some success against HTC at the ITC. On top of that, Google has had very limited success against Apple in its countersuits.

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Originally Posted by BuckusToothnail

Unfortunately for Apple, they are involved in a similar case with Samsung in the EU with regards to infringements against Samsung's LTE patents in the iPhone 5, iPad Mini and iPad 4.

It's unlikely Samsung would agree to a settlement. Rather, it's more likely they'll play hardball and force a permanent sales injunction on those Apple products in the EU, which would land a crippling blow to Apple, ceasing revenue from their top three highest grossing products in their second most important market, and sending their AAPL share price into a spinning nose dive from which they may never recover.

Unfortunately for Samsung, the EU is investigating them for improperly using their standards-essential LTE patents to try to drive out competition. If they play hardball, the EU is likely to land a crippling blow to Samsung, forcing a harsh settlement upon them (similar to what the US did to Microsoft in the late 1990s) and sending their share price into a spinning nose dive from which they may never recover.

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Originally Posted by Macist

Korean cars are kinda crap though. Pretty good value and they don't break down that much but they don't drive anywhere near as well European brands. That said, they are better than many American cars. About the only US car I'd trust is a European-style/designed Ford.

Seems Social Democratic mixed economies produce the best cars not unbridled capitalist ones.

Which country has an unbridled capitalist system?

Anyway, in recent years, according to Consumer Reports surveys, reliability of all cars has improved considerably. However, European makes generally fared the worst, with American cars in the middle, and Japanese cars (particularly Honda) generally the most reliable. It was less a function of where the cars were made (e.g. Honda makes more cars in the US than Japan) as it was the company assembling the car.

[BuckusToothnail]

Originally Posted by KPOM

Unfortunately for Samsung, the EU is investigating them for improperly using their standards-essential LTE patents to try to drive out competition. If they play hardball, the EU is likely to land a crippling blow to Samsung, forcing a harsh settlement upon them (similar to what the US did to Microsoft in the late 1990s) and sending their share price into a spinning nose dive from which they may never recover.[COLOR="#808080"]

Well you obviously made this up about the EU and Samsung, but was referencing the Federal Trade Commission's consideration to sue Google for potentially violating U.S. anti-trust law with the essential patents held by their subsidiary, Motorola, as alleged by Apple.

But since a federal judge in Wisconsin just threw out Apple's lawsuit against Motorola based on exactly these claims, allowing Motorola's lawsuit against Apple to proceed and recover damages from Apple's use of their wireless patents, I guess that FTC suit against Google isn't going to happen.

What is happening, however, is Samsungs' lawsuit against Apple for infringements on their LTE patents.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57...inst-iphone-5/

And no, despite your "fanboi" fantasies, it's not "improperly using their standards-essential LTE patents to try to drive out competitionion" for Samsung to ask that Apple pay them licensing fees for use of their patents, essential or not.

It IS classic patent INFRINGEMENT, however, to NOT compensate the patent holder for the use of their patent, and just ONE case of infringement is grounds for a total sales ban.

Nice try though!

But I guess according to you, it's only patent INFRINGEMENT when APPLE owns the patent, but otherwise, it's patent TROLLING when APPLE is getting sued!

[HMI]

Originally Posted by KPOM

Then why would HTC settle? Also, if that were the case, they'd have settled with Samsung. Apple is having less success outside the US, but there is a very good chance that a significant judgment against Samsung will stand. Plus, Apple did have some success against HTC at the ITC. On top of that, Google has had very limited success against Apple in its countersuits.

----------



Unfortunately for Samsung, the EU is investigating them for improperly using their standards-essential LTE patents to try to drive out competition. If they play hardball, the EU is likely to land a crippling blow to Samsung, forcing a harsh settlement upon them (similar to what the US did to Microsoft in the late 1990s) and sending their share price into a spinning nose dive from which they may never recover.

----------



Which country has an unbridled capitalist system?

Anyway, in recent years, according to Consumer Reports surveys, reliability of all cars has improved considerably. However, European makes generally fared the worst, with American cars in the middle, and Japanese cars (particularly Honda) generally the most reliable. It was less a function of where the cars were made (e.g. Honda makes more cars in the US than Japan) as it was the company assembling the car.

How much of those Hondas is actually made in the US? I heard one time that Toyota trucks were completely built into two halves in Japan, shipped to US, then those two halves were stuck together in the US, and they claimed it was "made in the US". It had something to do with US trade laws that let Japanese car makers use the label "made in US," when in fact it wasn't really.

I don't pretend to be a car expert, so I'm just putting the question out there.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by KPOM

My guess is that there are one of three possibilities: 1) Apple knows that they can't eliminate Android altogether and is shifting to a Microsoft-like strategy of collecting royalties, 2) Apple takes an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" strategy and figures that higher HTC sales will hurt Samsung more than Apple, or 3) some combination of 1 and 2.

Maybe. The speculation in the beginning was that Apple was going to pick off the easy targets like HTC before going after Google for the kill.

In the meantime, Android has grown to the point that it dwarfs iOS. At the rate things are going, Apple will be reduced to single digit market share in smartphones.

So maybe the initial thermonuclear strategy is unraveling. Apple just doesn't have the ammunition. It has lost repeatedly all over the world in its quest to trip up any competitor who dares to use Android (with a few notable exceptions) and has suffered heavy PR blows.

Maybe Tim is finally starting to understand that Apple's General Counsel and Steve cooked up a defective strategy.

----------

Originally Posted by ConCat

I really shouldn't get into this argument, but I really can't stand people who talk like you do.

Here's an idea:

Put him on "ignore' and spare the rest of us your righteous indignation.

Thank you.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by wonderspark

Wow, this makes me very pleased. Let this be the first of many such settlements, and let's all MOVE ON!

That depends. if Apple can wring every last cent out of competitors by settling, then that is the proper course of action. Conversely, if it more profitable to sue, then that is the preferred course of action.

[turtlez]

Samesung need to learn from this!

[AppleInTheMud]

Originally Posted by turtlez

Samesung need to learn from this!

Samsung ??? No no no no no no... Apple has to learn from this.

They are mostly the bad guys that thinks they own everything.

[turtlez]

Originally Posted by AppleInTheMud

Samsung ??? No no no no no no... Apple has to learn from this.

They are mostly the bad guys that thinks they own everything.

Apple tried to come to terms with Samsung but Samsung didn't want to know about it.

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Originally Posted by Psychj0e

Well, maybe Apple have learned their lesson after being forced to pay *all* of Samsungs legal fees.

Yeh maybe Apple will stop designing and let the world be at a loss because it can't stand being copied anymore. I hope so much for this to happen

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Originally Posted by juanm

Why don't they let Judge Judy settle it once and for all?

because she would make Samsung cry