Redacted HTC/Apple settlement documents released to Samsung, reveal little
At the request of Samsung, Apple has handed over a redacted version of their 10-year licensing deal with HTC. If you were craving juicy details, such as just how much HTC could be shelling out to the maker if the iPhone, you’re out of luck. As per the court’s orders, details on royalties and fees to be paid remain sealed.
What the documentation does reveal is that Apple’s design patents are not covered by the deal. Samsung has sought to determine whether Apple also included certain “user experience” patents that the Cupertino company had previously named as off the table. If Apple is indeed providing licenses for some of the patents covered in their suit against Samsung, it could weaken their case for permanent sales bans.
Such bans are no longer the worry of HTC, as a list of undisclosed products now fall under the deal with Apple agreeing to not seek further legal action against covered devices. A similar agreement with Samsung would see the end to one of the biggest patent-based lawsuits in history, but sadly this outcome seems unlikely. Both companies seem resigned to duking it out in front of a judge’s bench.