Like Samsung, HTC has also been having some arguments with Apple over patents. But in this case, the argument hasn’t escalated to a billion dollar lawsuit. Instead, it just ended rather peacefully. Apple and HTC agreed to quit fighting by signing a 10-year licensing deal covering past and future patents. Isn’t that civil!
The two companies had been sparring back in 2010, when Apple was pushing for a US ban on HTC phones, but things seem to have gotten significantly less hostile between now and then. The two companies had the following to say:
“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 pair of statements pretty clearly imply that the companies find patent litigation to be a waste of time when they could be innovating instead, at least in this specific case. Here’s to hoping the agreement works out well, and that more companies find a way to settle things like this so they can throw more money at making cool things we can buy instead of spending it all on lawyers. [The Next Web]