Technology giants Apple and Samsung have ended a seven-year battle over patent infringement. The two parties agreed to a settlement, according to court documents filed in the United States on Wednesday, CNN reported.
The dispute began in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for “slavishly” copying the iPhone’s design and software features. In 2012, a jury ruled that Samsung must pay Apple more than $1 billion for copying various hardware and software features. A federal judge reduced this award to $679 million, of which Samsung paid Apple $539 million in May.
Jurors found that Samsung had infringed upon the majority of the patents. This included the Apple iPhone’s software features like double-tap zooming and scrolling, hardware style or icon setup.
An Apple representative refused to respond to queries on Wednesday. Instead, the representative directed CNN to a statement the company had issued after Samsung was asked to pay it $539 million in May. “This case has always been about more than money,” the company said at the time. “Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.”
Samsung currently holds 23% of the global market, while Apple controls 16%.
“The sumo wrestlers have tired of the wrestling match,” Paul Berghoff, a patent lawyer in Chicago told Bloomberg. “They both were tired and happy to stop paying the outside lawyers. We may never know who blinked first, who made the call.”
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