We prefer it when companies make devices, not courtroom drama, so it’s delightful to see that Samsung has silenced another one of its litigation-frenemies this morning. The company has signed a cross-licensing agreement with former Sony beau Ericsson, with a figure of around $650 million being paid up-front, and an undisclosed regular payment to follow.
In the second patent deal announced by Samsung in the last 24 hours, the Korean electronics giant and Ericsson announced they have settled a dispute with a cross-licensing deal that will see some big checks being written to the Swedish networking firm. While full details weren’t disclosed, Ericsson said the settlement will boost its fourth-quarter sales by 4.2 billion Swedish Kronor ($652.3 million) and its net income by 3.3 billion kronor ($512.5 million). In addition to the initial payment, Samsung will also make ongoing payments to Ericsson, the companies said. The deal will end all of the global patent disputes between the two firms, including complaints before the U.S. International Trade Commission and lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Texas.
