Apple and Samsung agree to drop legal disputes in all jurisdictions outside the U.S.
It's increasingly starting to look that Apple's obsession with taking Samsung to task for allegedly copying the iPhone may be starting to wane. Originally reported by Bloomberg, news broke on Tuesday evening that Apple and Samsung have agreed to end all of their legal disputes in all jurisdictions save for the United States.
While Apple's legal battle in the U.S. has garnered the most attention, Apple and Samsung have been duking it out in jurisdictions across the globe for over three years now. With only the U.S. in play now, legal claims have been dropped in the following countries: Australia, Japan, France, Italy, South Korea, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Germany.
A joint statement from Apple and Samsung reads in part:
Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States. This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.
Overall, the announcement lends itself towards the belief that the worst of the legal battles between the two companies is behind us. Recall that Apple has already taken Samsung to court twice in the U.S., emerging victorious in both instances. In August of 2012, Apple was awarded nearly $1 billion in damages. This past summer, a jury awarded Apple $120 million in damages. Note, though, that with both cases winding their way through the appeals process, Samsung has yet to actually hand over a dime to Apple.
Despite legal posturing from both companies, court documents have revealed that Apple and Samsung have engaged in high level settlement talks in the past. Ultimately, though, the companies were unable to reach mutually agreeable terms with respect to royalty rates.
