2 Can Play The Game: Samsung And Apple Keep Score

2 Can Play The Game: Samsung And Apple Keep Score

All suits outside the US have now been dropped by the two biggest rivals in the game Samsung and Apple. The legal claims of the 2 firms are being dropped against each other in Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, UK and France. An agreement has been reached between Apple and Samsung heralding the probable end to what is undeniably a massive patent fight spanning continents.

It's a turf war on an international scale as the 2 companies compete to get a king's share of the exploding touchscreen smartphone market. Apple has charged Samsung with having copied its iPhone designs. Samsung has countered Apple on charges that the company is using Samsung's wireless transmission technology without prior permission. Each side has not won a clear judgement in their favour. Even the judges have been urging the 2 firms to seek a solution out of court through settlement.

Signs of peace between the two major companies has been visible for some time now. Apple and Samsung had agreed to drop appeals of the patent infringement case at the US International Trade Commission which caused an import ban on older models of Samsung phones. Apple and Google also chose peace over legal battles by dropping lawsuits against each other in relation to the Motorola Mobility.

But for Apple and Samsung, the patent war is not completely over. Both companies have indicated that legal battles will not be completely stopped and they have not reached any cross-licensing agreement either. In a statement issued by the companies to leading media groups, both Apple and Samsung have indicated that they “have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States. This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

With Xiaomi and Micromax garnering top shares of the expanding Chinese and Indian smartphone markets, it is possible Apple and Samsung will now have to fend with more rivals. In the absence of a cross licensing agreement between the two firms though, experts caution that the skirmish may have fresh innings soon. They may be right as Note 4 and iPhone 6 will be launched within 6 days of each other. Lenovo and Huawei have not been caught napping either. They have gained a massive share of the market through feature packed phones at really affordable prices.

Apple and Samsung have been fighting for the patent cause even as booming sales of the smartphone market have attracted players from different countries to provide quality technology at really low costs. California based Apple introduced the iPhone in the year 2007 that revolutionised the use of phones with touch screens and Internet access. Samsung kept pace with models of differing styles and prices. The rivalry between the two culminated in long standing patent dispute cases in San Jose courts.

Apple won 2 of the suits with multi-million verdicts in its favour. The hearings were characterised by a flurry of internal documents showing just how deep the dispute between the 2 were. Apple CEO Tim Book and Samsung's chief Shin Jong-Kyun attended a complete session with mediators to try and find peace. The time for legal battles is past because the others are now gaining up on the two and how.

Samsung and Apple have also paid what must surely amount to a fortune in legal fees on the battles that were fought in no less than 4 continents. Apple is all set to launch its iPhone 6 on September 9 while Samsung has sent invites for its next Unpacked event on September 3. Samsung is calling the event "Episode 2" of Unpacked and it will be held across 3 countries namely Berlin , Beijing and NY. Samsung is gearing up to launch Note 4 and will also be streaming the proceedings live on YouTube as well. Note 4 and iPhone 6 will slug it out for gaining consumer share . The smartphone market is now gearing up for the next big fight between the 2 Titans. As always, there are high stakes in this game.