In a bid to eliminate its competitors, Apple filed countless patent lawsuits against several smartphone manufacturers and among them was the Taiwanese phone-maker, HTC. But just recently, both companies reportedly ended their legal rift amicably by agreeing to a settlement, details of which have never been revealed to the media yet but Apple chief executive, Tim Cook, already said that he was glad that a settlement was reached for the lawsuit his company started a couple of years ago.

HTC CEO, Peter Chou, also said in a statement that HTC, amidst all the financial difficulties it is experiencing, needs to focus on innovation and not on litigation. Apple sued the Taiwanese phone-maker in 2010 with a claim that some of its patents were infringed. It was the first major salvo of the Californian tech against other manufacturers, according to a report from BigPond News.

HTC was one of the industry players in the smartphone market, however, it Apple and Samsung have gained total control of the competition pushing the company to undergo a major overhaul in its marketing and manufacturing strategies. Just this year, it was forced to venture out to a much easier market in China rather than in the United States following the sales ban imposed by the US International Trade Commission. Some of its devices including its flagship, HTC One X, has been held up by US customs. The sales ban had a great impact on HTC's sales and since then, it has always been a downhill battle for the Taiwanese.

People are wondering whether there is a newly-formed bond between these two companies. If there is, then it would be the biggest break HTC could achieve this year and it may just be the start of its recovery.

sources: Big Pond News | Washington Post