Apple and Google call truce in Smart Phone Patent War

Two technology titans, Apple and Google, called a truce in mid-May 2014. In a joint statement, Apple and Google agreed to dismiss all current lawsuits that exist directly between the two companies. The patent lawsuits that the companies filed against each other stemmed from Apple suing Motorola in a federal court four years ago. When Google acquired Motorola Mobility in 2012, it was forced to take on the huge legal tasks of settling the pending lawsuits. Apple has been active in suing those who infringe, including Google for its android software and Samsung for its design features.

    

     The legal truce between Apple and Google does not take the pressure off of smartphone maker Samsung, who is seeking minimal damages from Apple in patent infringement litigation. The Japanese Intellectual Property High Court ruled that Apple infringed on data transmission technology in their iPhone 4 and iPad 2, which Samsung has patents on. Apple and Samsung are involved in several patent litigation cases in several different countries and courts at the same time. Apple was awarded $119.6 million in damages by jurors in a Silicon Valley trial. While this may seem like a large award, it is only a small fraction of the $2BN + that Apple has sought from Samsung in the smartphone and tablet war. In this particular case, Samsung violated three of five key patents. Often times there is no clear winner in the cases, as the firms appeal the cases and they are sometimes over turned or invalidated.