Apple and Samsung agree to patent truce

Many of the ongoing legal tussles between smartphone giants Apple and Samsung have been called off.

The pair have in a joint statement called a halt to all patent battles outside of the US, including those in the UK and eight other countries.

The increasingly heated dispute between the pair kicked off in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung over an alleged patent infringement in its Galaxy phones and tablets related to the ‘slide to unlock’ mechanic. Many of the other patents concern the device’s respective universal search features.

All of which kicked off a furious back and forth of legal proceedings, with Samsung taking issue with photo synchronisation and media sharing tech infringements amongst other things.

All US litigation between the pair will continue, however.

This latest move continues the recent de-escalation seen between the pair. In June both dropped calls for courts to halt sales of their rivals devices in the US while Samsung dropped Motorola Mobility lawsuits the month before.

Samsung’s loss of appetite for war could be related both to the fact that sales of its Galaxy products are in decline and that Apple has already won two high profile cases against it, amounting total damages of $1.05bn.