Yesterday it was announced that Apple and HTC had settled its patent dispute with a 10 year license agreement. In the press release it stated:
HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
Earlier today analyst Shaw Wu said that HTC may be paying upwards of $6 - $8 per device in licensing fees starting in 2013. This would be for both Android and Windows Phone devices, and according to Wu could amount to between $180 and $280 million in fees. While that isn"t much money to Apple, it may feel like a kick in the teeth to HTC.
The company patent war began in March 2010, when Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC claiming that the company had violated 20 of Apple"s patents relating to its iPhone. HTC countered in May 2010, alleging that Apple had violated many of HTC"s patents.