HTC and Apple shook hands earlier this week, having decided to put all their patent disputes behind them, and get on with building smartphones instead. This was good news for us, as it’s one less lawsuit to hear about, good news for HTC, as it avoids any costly court judgements and finally, good news for Apple as it will make money from each HTC Android phone sold.
Samsung however, will not be following HTC’s lead, and will instead continue to battle it out with Apple both in stores and in the courtroom. In an interview with Yonhap News in Korea, Samsung’s President of Telecoms and IT, Jong-Kyun Shin said “we don’t intend to negotiate at all” when asked if Samsung would settle any dispute in a similar way to HTC.
The various legal battles between Apple and Samsung have captured headlines throughout the year, particularly regarding Apple’s $1 billion win against the company, and Samsung’s controversial win in the UK. Shin’s comments indicate we’ll be seeing more of the same in the future.
HTC has signed a 10-year licensing contract with Apple, believed to include a payment of around $6 to $8 per HTC handset sold, which could total up to a figure of approximately $275 million per year, based on HTC’s current smartphone sales performance.
It’s an interesting turn of events too, as Apple has long been viewed as the aggressive one when it comes to litigation, but this shows Samsung is equally committed to continuing the patent war in a courtroom setting.
Samsung has filed an appeal against its $1 billion judgement, which is currently being assessed by the courts, while Apple has asked for more damages, saying Samsung has harmed the iPhone’s “distinctive product identity.” As Samsung won’t be signing an agreement with Apple anytime soon, expect more legal fireworks from the pair over the coming months.
This article is clearly biased for Apple. 1) the Uk judgement against apple was controversial but the us judgement wasn’t?? 2) Apple is still the aggressive party in the litigation battle, samsung is defending itself against having to pay royalties on apple’s perceived infringements and 3) htc is the good guy for settling in apple’s favor but not defending itself against apple’s suit? You should be a little surprised at your spin at the least and at most ashamed.
Sorry, but you’re seeing something that simply isn’t there. To answer your points. 1. The UK verdict has proved controversial due to Apple’s childish handling of its punishment. Please read the linked article. 2. I never said Apple wasn’t aggressive. In fact, I pointed out Samsung is prepared to stand up for itself in court too. 3. HTC is the sensible guy. It has concluded two years of litigation without a Samsung-sized judgement, so it can get on with making phones.
One more comment, htc’s settlement with apple is not necessarily a good thing for the consumer as HTC will invariably raise prices to cover the cost of it’s payments to apple for each handset sold.