Apple and Samsung's Decade-Long Patent Infringement Lawsuit Ends Up in Settlement

Rival tech giants Apple and Samsung have spent the last decade fighting one another in court over patent infringement claims. But on Wednesday, the companies finally agreed to settle.

In May, a California district court ruled that Samsung should pay Apple $539 million in damages over the patent infringement case. The decision cut Apple’s original demands of $1 billion almost by half but it is still way above what Samsung argued they should be paying.

Now, a few weeks later, a more friendly atmosphere has apparently been set between Apple and Samsung as reports said the companies have finally agreed to settle. However, the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

According to reports, the two parties faced each other in a court in San Jose, California, were conditions of the settlement were discussed.

As the settlement made headlines, Apple said in a statement, “We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.”

The iPhone maker has also thanked the jury for the way it handled the high-profile case. Meanwhile, Samsung has yet to comment on the reports.

The court previously decided that Samsung did infringe on Apple’s patents on several smartphone components and facilities. But both parties did not back down when it came to the decision on compensations to be paid. Samsung was sued for copying designs for a glass front face, a display screen, and a front face bezel.

However, the case had to be brought back to the district court to finally determine the amount of payment for damages Samsung had to pay based on the articles of manufacture to be considered in this particular case.