Apple and Samsung have been suing and countersuing one another for patent infringement for years. Now it looks like the battle has finally come to an end.
The companies have reached a settlement in a 7-year-old lawsuit that Apple had filed against Samsung, claiming the Galaxy smartphone maker had copied Apple’s iPhone designs.
That was apparently the last lawsuit standing, even though it was the first one filed.
Details haven’t been disclosed, so it’s unclear how much money, if any, is changing hands as part of the settlement. But the company has already paid hundreds of millions of dollars to Apple since the suits started flying.
The smartphone space has changed a lot since Apple first accused Samsung of copying elements of the physical design and software used in the iPhone 3G. These days there’s no arguing that where Apple goes, a lot of companies tend to follow. But for the most part it would be hard to mistake a modern Android phone for an iPhone.
While courts have found that Samsung did copy some design features from Apple, the company has managed to work around Apple’s patents in recent years and has managed to produce phones that have a unique Samsung look thanks to their edge-to-edge, curved glass “Infinity Displays,” and other distinctive features.
It seems a lot of smart phones look a like. It seems like a silly lawsuit. I am glad it came to an end.