Apple, HTC drop patent disputes

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CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Legal wrangling over trademarks between Apple and a Taiwan firm that makes Android smart phones has ended with a 10-year agreement, the companies said.

The scrap began in March 2010, when Apple filed patent infringement suits against HTC in U.S. federal court in Delaware and with the International Trade Commission, The New York Times said.

In a joint release issued Saturday night, the chief executive officers said the deal was struck to dismiss all lawsuits against one another and establish a 10-year license agreement.

Other details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Apple won a similar patent infringement lawsuit against Android-maker Samsung and was awarded more than $1 billion by a jury in August, although that decision is under appeal.