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Apple and Samsung have finally settled one of the tech industrys longest running patent disputes between two biggest smartphone titans.
Seven years after Apple sued Samsung alleging that it stole the iPhones design, a court filing on Wednesday revealed that the pair have settled their remaining US cases. The terms of settlement are confidential.
The legal battle started in 2011 and initially resulted in a $1 billion ruling in Apples favor. But it didnt end there. A series of appeals moved the dispute to the Supreme Court and back, as the companies continually rehashed which patents were infringed and, more recently, exactly how much Samsung owes Apple because of the infringement.
The case revolved around a number of design and utility patents for basic functions of a smartphone, like tap to zoom and the home screen app grid. But while the fight was hashed out using specific patents, the battle was ultimately about whether Samsung copied Apple in the early days of smartphones to gain an edge. The jury decided that, in many ways, it did.
Most recently, the verdict had been whittled down to $539 million for Apple. Samsung filed to appeal that earlier this month. But the two companies were able to reach an agreement before it could be litigated again.
So, it seems like the fight between two largest smartphone makers is over, maybe for sometime.
