Apple and Samsung end legal dispute... except in the US

The pair have been at legal loggerheads over accusations of patent infringments for a number of years now, with the row affecting products on sale in countries including Korea, Japan and Germany.

A Samsung spokesperson said no licensing deals were agreed but confirmed the end of various claims. The statement read: "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."

Apple has succeeded in a couple of US actions already, securing a reported $119.6m in damages from Samsung for the infringement of two patents earlier this year and $1.05bn two years ago; Samsung has opposed both verdicts.

The news comes at a time when Apple could be facing a different legal headache, with Bose filing a claim against the headphone manufacturer Beats – soon to be owned by the Cupertino tech giant – for infringing five noise-cancelling patents.

The news comes on the same day that Apple has reportedly finalised plans for the launch of the iPhone 6, which is set to be unveiled next month according to various reputable sources.

[via Bloomberg]

Pete was content editor on What Hi-Fi?, overseeing production and publication of digital content. In creating and curating feature articles for web and print consumption, he provided digital and editorial expertise and support to help reposition What Hi-Fi? as a ‘digital-first’ title; reflecting the contemporary media trends. He is now a senior content strategist.