Samsung and Apple to drop patent lawsuits

Following three years of legal hostility, Samsung and Apple Inc. have agreed to end all patent lawsuits between each other outside of the US.

Samsung Electronics Co. stated that they would continue to pursue existing cases with Apple inc. within the US.

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

The partial truce is a significant lessening of corporate animosity after years of patent disputes regarding the intellectual property rights for mobile designs and technology.

The series of high-stake lawsuits first started in April 2011 when Apple accused Samsung, the maker of Galaxy phones, of slavishly copying the iPhone. Samsung responded by charging Apple of stealing its mobile technology.

Now, lawsuits and other legal actions by Samsung and Apple will cease in territories including Germany, Spain, England, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan and Australia.