Samsung Electronics and Apple have agreed to drop all patent litigation between the two firms outside the US. The iPhone and Galaxy handset makers issued nearly identical statements announcing the end to their long-running legal battle, except for in the US. The companies declined to disclose the terms of the deal but said it did not involve any licensing arrangements, Reuters reports.
The agreement ends patent disputes in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and the UK. Their legal battle began in the US in 2011 when Apple first filed a suit alleging Samsung "slavishly" copied elements of the iPhone. Days later Samsung sued Apple in South Korea, Japan and Germany.
An industry source familiar with the matter told Reuters the companies "decided that there was no merit in dragging on these lawsuits". In the US, Samsung is appealing a ruling that awarded Apple in 2012 USD 930 million in damages.
