Apple and Samsung Agree to End Patent Suits Outside the U.S.A.

Apple and Samsung have agreed to end their patent suits against each other outside of the U.S.A., according to a statement provided to Bloomberg. The companies had pending lawsuits in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, and the U.K.

“Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States,” the companies said in the statement. “This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

Apple has accused Samsung of copying the design for its iPhone and iPad; however, the company has not been able to achieve a major legal victory against Samsung outside of the U.S.


In May, a California jury ruled that Samsung infringed on two of Apple's patents, awarding Apple $119.6 million in damages. Back in 2012 the company won a major $1 billion victory against Samsung. The jury award in that case was adjusted down slightly to $992 million.

Despite Apple's victories in the U.S., it dropped a cross-appeal in the first California case against Samsung last month. Perhaps we are finally seeing a deescalation in the legal war between the companies.

According to WSJ, Apple has found another way to hurt Samsung - by shifting chip production to TSMC.

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