A US judge has ordered Apple to disclose to Samsung Electronics details of its patent settlement with HTC. US Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal accepted Samsung's motion and ordered Apple to produce documents for "attorney-eyes-only", the Wall Street Journal reports. Earlier this month, Apple and HTC signed a 10-year licensing agreement that settled all of their lawsuits. Financial terms weren't disclosed, although a person familiar with the situation said HTC would be paying Apple an undisclosed licensing fee.
Apple sued Samsung in US federal court in April 2011 after the two companies were unable to reach a deal on licensing. According to court documents, Apple had proposed in October 2010 that Samsung pay USD 30 per handset and USD 40 per tablet, with Apple willing to give Samsung a 20 percent discount if the Korean company agreed to cross-license its technology.
Samsung is seeking access to the HTC settlement agreement to support its opposition to Apple's motion for a permanent injunction against the sale of Samsung products in the US. According to court filings, Samsung believes the settlement agreement undermines Apple's assertion that an injunction is a more appropriate remedy than money damages. Samsung finds a royalty more suitable than a permanent injunction, the filing said.
