“On Friday, Samsung’s counsel in the Apple case in California brought a motion to compel, demanding access to the newly-minted Apple-HTC license agreement that settled Apple’s first Android patent case ever,” Florian Mueller reports for FOSS Patents. “Apple has just responded on Tuesday evening local time, and Apple’s response is that Samsung’s motion is “moot” because Apple and HTC are happy to provide a redacted version, with only 33 words, which set forth the license fees HTC has to pay under the agreement, being redacted. And even the redacted version will be marked as “Highly Confidential – Attorneys’ Eyes Only”. HTC originally wanted to limit access to a maximum of two outside attorneys, but Samsung proposed the aforementioned AEO designation, and Apple and HTC accepted this.
“But Samsung’s lawyers still want access to the full, unredacted agreement, including the part on the royalty rate,” Mueller reports. “It’s obvious that HTC does not want its competitors to know about its cost structures. While HTC CEO Peter Chou said in interviews that the amounts on which the media speculated ($6-$8 per unit) were “outrageous” and not true, the world will never know the amount unless the full agreement is disclosed at some point, which is very unlikely to happen.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Hey, Samsung, GFY – and have a happy Thanksgiving!
I’m guessing that part of the agreement includes Apple sourcing some key future iPhone parts or more manufactured by HTC.
If the royalty rate is favorable to Apple, wouldn’t it be in their best interest to disclose it? I do understand both companies must agree though.
You don’t show your hand in a poker game, period.
that’s right, pard.
HTC was throughly screwed.
Apple is not the kind to kiss and tell.