In the great professional fanboy fight that is Apple vs. Samsung, things might be about to grow up. The two companies have agreed to put an end to patent battles outside of the U.S..
https://gizmodo.com/reminder-apple-vs-samsung-is-just-a-professional-fanb-1571317511
In a joint statement, reports Bloomberg, the two companies explain that they have decided to drop all of the current patent suits against each other in countries outside of America. That means that legal proceedings in Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, the UK, France and Italy will all be abandoned. The two companies write:
“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.”
So, the situation is certainly no indication of the two companies kissing and making up entirely. After all, the U.S. suits are the biggest, in terms of dollar figures, so tossing the other cases to one side is only a small gesture.
But the news could—maybe, perhaps, possibly—be an indication of the two companies softening their approach to patent battles. And it wouldn’t be the first either: in June, Apple dropped an infringement case against Samsung; in May, Apple and Motorola Mobility settled on a case and agreed to work on patent reform.
It may not yet be the end of Apple vs. Samsung, but it’s at least heading in the right direction. [Bloomberg]
