More than two years ago I found out that Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), si Nokia an agreement was concluded for mutual licensing of some technologies, those from Nokia also collecting certain amounts of money from Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),. Although until now it was not known for what period this licensing agreement between the two companies was concluded, well here it is that we know thanks to a process in which Apple is involved. In a motion submitted by Samsung to an American court, those from Samsung argue that the agreement between the two companies expires on December 31, 2016, that is, in almost 3 years.
Late last week, Samsung responded to Apple's renewed (post-appeal) motion for a permanent injunction, and the following passage from Samsung's filing basically says that it was a five-and-a-half-year deal. In the injunction context it's in Samsung's interest to argue that the Apple-Nokia deal was a comprehensive, reasonably long-term license deal. While it must have some factual basis for arguing that the agreement "covers the period from June 12, 2011 to December 31, 2016", I would be careful in light of Samsung's interest in a particular interpretation.
Samsung brought the date into discussion, because Apple claimed that the agreement concluded with Nokia is a temporary one, but in reality it is valid for 5 and a half years, a rather long period. Samsung was accused of obtaining this kind of information without right because its lawyers illegally shared the details of the agreement between Apple and Nokia, those from Samsung are now being tried by an American court for this violation of the confidentiality of the act.
