Apple, HTC resolve patent disputes

Apple Inc. and HTC Corp have settled all global lawsuits and signed a 10-year licensing agreement, ending a dispute that threatened their shipments of mobile devices. The 2 companies announced on Sunday that they have reached an agreement on their disputes in the United States and other countries. They agreed on a 10-year cross-licensing of patents, including those both firms obtain in the future. But they did not disclose the details of the deal. Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomed the settlement. He said his firm will continue to focus on developing innovative products. This is the first settlement between Apple and any company producing devices that use Google’s Android operating system. Apple filed a suit against HTC with the US International Trade Commission 2 years ago. It claimed that the Taiwanese firm infringed its patents, including one for automatically recognizing phone numbers in e-mails and turning them into links. The US commission gave rulings that are advantageous to Apple, including the decision last December to suspend US imports of HTC products. Observers say the settlement may influence the ongoing global court battles between Apple and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, which also uses Android.