LG Electronics and Sony have ended a patent war with a licensing agreement to share their patent portfolios. This truce brings to an end a patent war that has been raging since last year, and both firms have agreed to drop patent infringement lawsuits against the other but they didn’t reveal all of the details of the agreement.
On the one hand, LG Electronics is a multinational electronics corporation with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. It is a top manufacturer of products like home appliances, television sets and mobile phones.
Sony Corporation, on the other hand, is a global conglomerate based in Tokyo, Japan, and is a leading manufacturer of electronics and products for the business and consumer markets.
The patent war began with a complaint Sony filed against LG last December at the US International Trade Commission, in which it claimed that LG had infringed on its patented technologies for mobile phones.
LG then sued Sony in response, claiming that the Japanese company had infringed its patents for HD TVs and Blu ray in Europe and the US. More specifically, LG hit back against Sony with patent infringement allegations of its own, which alleged that Sony products including the PlayStation 3 and the Bravia infringed on LG patents.
The cross licensing agreement between Sony and LG finally ended the long patent war between the two companies at last. The two have called a truce by agreeing to drop all patent infringement charges in favor of a cross licensing agreement which will cover a wide range of products, from TV’s to smartphones and other gadgets.
However, the companies have kept much of the licensing deal a secret in order to protect their joint interests. The cross licensing agreement is likely to benefit both companies and save them time and money on legal expenses.
