Apple proffers licensing solution to patent rivals
Apple is offering to settle patent lawsuits with rivals such as Motorola Mobility and Samsung by allowing them to licensing its patents, among other terms.
According to a Dow Jones report on Wednesday, unnamed sources said Cupertino has made the offer to both companies to settle pending litigations "in exchange for royalty payments to license its patents" and relinquish their patent rights. Apple is not attempting to offer licensing solutions to all its competitors or create a royalty business though, added one person familiar with the matter.
The company has asked Motorola Mobility for between US$5 and US$15, or roughly 1 percent to 2.5 percent of net sales, per handset, another unnamed source said in the report.
None of the sources were able to confirm if the settlement talks are taking place but have stated that it was "part of an ongoing process", Dow Jones stated.
Meanwhile, Samsung on Wednesday filed another lawsuit against Apple in South Korea. The Korean company claiming that Cupertino's iPhone 4S and iPad 2 had infringed three of its patents involving methods of displaying data, user interface and short text messages, stated a Thursday report on Chosun Ilbo.
Both companies have extended the fight to over more than 30 cases in 10 countries since Apple filed its first case in April last year claiming Samsung had copied its iPhone and iPad tablets.