Samsung, Apple may resolve patent disputes

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. will likely reach an agreement over their patent disputes as neither of the two companies has been a clear winner, Fitch Ratings said Monday.

Samsung Electronics and Apple, the world’s two largest smartphone makers, have been waging a series of legal suits against each other, blaming each other for patent infringement in design and technology patents on their key mobile devices.

“Fitch sees the legal battle continuing for at least the next 12 months, with over 40 different lawsuits pending across several countries illustrating that a ruling in one country will not be followed automatically in another,” the global ratings appraiser said in a note.

“Fitch would expect Samsung and Apple to agree on a number of compromises over the medium term, where one side may gain a slight advantage, albeit not significantly.”

The dispute has bulked up into a patent battle spanning 10 countries since April of last year. (Yonhap News)