[Yonhap Photo]
SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has reached an agreement with Apple Inc. to settle the latest legal dispute surrounding alleged smartphone design infringement.
"We cannot provide any details other than that we reached an agreement with Apple," a source from Samsung Electronics said. Samsung refrained from disclosing other details, including the amount of compensation provided to Apple.
Industry watchers said the settlement apparently came as the prolonged dispute became a burden for both companies. The conflict between Samsung and Apple surrounding the alleged design infringement started in 2011.
The U.S. company earlier claimed Samsung violated its designs, such as a "black rectangular front face with rounded corners," a "rectangular front face with rounded corners and a raised rim" and a "grid of 16 colorful icons on a black screen."
Last month, the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, ruled against Samsung and ordered the company to pay Apple US$539 million for infringing on its design. Samsung Electronics shortly afterwards called for a reconsideration of the ruling.
(Yonhap)
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
