Apple and HTC settle patent litigation, reach 10-year cross-licensing agreement

Apple and HTC have reached a global settlement to their long-running patent dispute. The settlement includes a 10-year cross-licensing agreement. A joint statement released by both companies quotes HTC's Peter Chou and Apple's Tim Cook:

“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”

So, all in on the innovation. The settlement includes current and future patents. No terms were disclosed. Phil Nickinson of our Mobile Nations sibling site, Android Central spoke to HTC tonight and also learned:

The licensing deal covers all of HTC's products, company spokesman Jeff Gordon told Android Central this evening, which includes Android as well as its current Windows Phone stable. Gordon also said that "we do not expect this license agreement to have an adverse material impact on the financials of the company."

HTC makes both Android and Windows Phone devices. Apple already has a cross-licensing deal in place with Microsoft. When it comes to Android, however, Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, vowed to go thermonuclear on what he considered Android's grand theft of iPhone intellectual property, and Tim Cook has asserted that Apple can't be the developer for the world. Apparently neither that legacy nor that position were impediments to a resolution in HTC's case.

Apple has previously reached a settlement with Nokia as well, but they remain in litigation with the very-well funded Samsung and the Google-owned Motorola.