Samsung and Apple Settle Long-Running Design Patent Dispute

Apple and Samsung have settled an ongoing legal battle that has spanned seven years, according to court documents filed with the Northern District Court of California this morning.

In the document, Apple and Samsung said they have agreed to drop and settle the remaining claims and counter claims in the design patent legal battle that saw them back in court in May.

The terms of the settlement were not included in the court document, but Samsung had been ordered by the jury to pay Apple $539 million following the May damages retrial.

Plaintiff Apple Inc. and Defendants Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC would like to inform the Court that they have agreed to drop and settle their remaining claims and counterclaims in this matter.

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED, by and between the parties and subject to the approval of the Court, that pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 41(a) and 41(c), all remaining claims and counterclaims in this action are hereby dismissed with prejudice, to the extent such are still pending, and all parties shall bear their own attorneys' fees and costs.

Apple and Samsung's legal dispute has been ongoing since 2011, when Apple sued Samsung for violating Apple design patents with five Android devices sold between 2010 and 2011.

Samsung was found guilty of infringing on Apple's patents back in 2012, but the two companies have spent the last six years duking it out over the total amount Samsung owes Apple for the violation.

Samsung has vehemently argued that it should have to pay damages only for the portion of the iPhone's design that it copied, while Apple has continually asked for a payment based on the full value of the iPhone.

The court in May largely sided with Apple, ordering Samsung to pay $539 million, a decision Samsung was not happy with because it was over the $399 million Samsung had originally gotten the payment down to following multiple appeals, and more than the $28 million it insisted it owed. The South Korean company filed an another appeal demanding a new trial on June 11, but has now dropped all appeals since a settlement has been reached.

Apple declined to comment directly on the settlement, referring MacRumors back to the company's statement following the May verdict.

We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.