Although last week I told you that Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), won a lawsuit filed in the US by Samsung for the reduction of compensations granted in a previous judgment, the two companies have opened several other lawsuits on American territory. One of these is going to start during this month, but before everything reaches the courtroom for debate, the two companies they agreed to give up a series of claims and patents used in the process.
Samsung agreed to dismiss without prejudice (ie, it could reassert in subsequent litigation) three of its asserted patent claims. As a result, its offensive case at the upcoming trial involves one claim each from two non-standard-essential patents, but no standard-essential patents anymore.
Samsung agreed to give up three essential patents covering standard technologies, while Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), agreed to waive all claims regarding the products that were to be protected by them. Normally, the court would have rejected the use of those patents anyway because Samsung cannot use them to attack Apple, but it seems that the lawyers of the two companies have reached a compromise in order not to fight in court based on them.
Despite the actions caused by this process, the two companies have so many legal battles ahead that it will matter more if they take similar actions in other regions of the world.
