Apple Inc. and Samsung Group strike a truce, end international patent lawsuits

[Transcendence]

You know it’s a sign of the times when Apple and Samsung are calling a truce behind pretty much anything, but the news today is that Apple and Samsung are ending all international patent lawsuits. The two have agreed to stop pursuing pointless court litigation around the world, particularly because both giants are facing stiff competition from Chinese manufacturer Xioami at the moment.

Chinese Xiaomi outsold more phones in Q2 than Samsung Electronics, and Apple’s got plans to expand its market share internationally. Some have accused Xiaomi of providing nothing more than iPhone clone phones, but whatever Xiaomi’s doing, it’s obviously working.

Xiamoi’s success can be attributed to not only premium hardware, but also its appreciation festivals and customer feedback on its MIUI user interface and software. When you factor in its low cost, it’s not hard to see what’s making Xiaomi successful. Xiaomi’s rise has brought the company to hold the title of the fifth-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that their patent lawsuits are coming to an end in the US. Samsung’s still on the chopping block for $930 million in infringement penalties and Apple doesn’t intend to ever drop its American lawsuit against the Korean manufacturer. Samsung’s been accused over the last few years of copying the look and feel of Apple iPhones in order to get ahead and gain market share over the company whose iPhones started it all in 2007.

 

Hong Kong Hyundai Securities technology analyst Young Park said that both Apple and Samsung see international patent lawsuits “will only fatten the bills of lawyers.†Samsung and Apple combined for 37.1% of all smartphone shipments in Q2, an impressive feat in and of itself.

 

Still, with a declaration to the end of international lawsuits, it’s nice to see both companies, stellar in their own right, come to some truce. Both companies still have their flaws and shortcomings, but this makes some Samsung users appreciate Apple and a little more – and hopefully, some Apple users appreciate Samsung a little more.