GigaOM is reporting that Google and Apple have agreed to dismiss ALL lawsuits against each other and start playing nice and bury the hatchet. You heard that correctly, here’s the joint statement from the two mega tech giants.
Apple and Google have agreed to dismiss all the current lawsuits that exist directly between the two companies. Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform. The agreement does not include a cross license.
Yes indeed, they are also agreeing to work together on patent reform but there will be no cross licenses as Google has done with other companies. This is a HUGE Friday breakthrough for the tech world, particularly mobile. Here’s a portion of the GigaOM story after the break.
A person familiar with the litigation said the truce will end about 20 lawsuits in the United States and Germany, including proceedings before the U.S. International Trade Commission. The person confirmed the statement’s reference to “directly between the companies” meant that the agreement would not immediately affect related patent litigation between Apple and Samsung, or lawsuits involving the Apple-backed patent troll Rockstar.
The person described the process as Apple and Google “putting down their guns.”
Apple and Google also filed a court notice (embedded below) this week in a closely-watched patent appeals case, concerning Google-owned Motorola Mobility, that stated they were dismissing the case.
The bitter patent fight has its roots in Apple’s late CEO, Steve Jobs, declaring in early 2010 that he would launch “thermonuclear war” in retaliation for Google’s launch of the Android operating system. Since then, the two companies have sued each other directly, and through proxies, in courtrooms around the world.
The patent fights, which regularly made front-page headlines, have resulted in hundreds of millions, or even billions, in legal cost to each side, but has failed to make a material difference in the smartphone market. CONTINUED ON GIGAOM
I am literally stunned and I sure hope this is going somewhere good and that Samsung and Apple will eventually go the same route.
Source: GigaOM
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
Comments are closed.