Apple and Samsung have agreed to end their long-standing legal confrontation, at the center of which was the accusation that Samsung had copied the iPhone to produce its smartphones. Judge Luci Koh dealing with the case announced that she had been briefed by the two companies about the agreement, the terms of which remain confidential. The patent litigation between Apple and Samsung began in 2011 and led to a court victory for Apple, with a ruling that required Samsung to pay $ 1 billion in damages. Several appeals and side trials followed, due to lawsuits filed by both Samsung and Apple, which accused each other of copying each other in the early years of smartphone design and production. The agreement therefore comes after seven very complicated and legally expensive years, although it is not clear why it was signed now and not a few years ago. The change of some executives especially within the two companies could have contributed to the new decision.
