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Last week HTC and Apple signed a 10-year cross-licensing agreement allowing them to use each others patented technology. While the official details about the agreement were not released, an analyst estimated HTC would pay Apple $6-$8 per Android device sold. The analyst is wrong, according to HTC’s CEO Peter Chou.
Chou let the world know that HTC would not be paying Apple “outrageous” fees:
I think that these estimates are baseless and very, very wrong. It is an outrageous number, but I’m not going to comment anything on a specific number. I believe we have a very, very happy settlement and a good ending.
So how much, if anything, is HTC paying Apple for use of Apple technology (because I doubt Apple is paying HTC anything significant)? Chou does not specify but we may not have to wait long to find out.
You see when Samsung heard about the HTC-Apple agreement, it immediately filed a post-trial motion in court to be able to see the details of that agreement. According to Samsung, the fact that Apple licensed patents it claimed it wouldn’t license means Apple has not been as harmed by Samsung’s infringement as Apple claims and thus the judgement against Samsung, and the impending injunction against its products, should be adjusted accordingly. For this to happen, Samsung wanted to see the agreement. And a judge has agreed.
US Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal has ordered Apple to reveal the details of its agreement with HTC to Samsung. Unfortunately, the judge’s order is for “attorneys’ eyes only” meaning the agreement won’t be made public — only shown to Samsung and its lawyers. Still, once the agreement is out, who knows… it might leak and we will finally found out what is what in the world of Apple and HTC.
