Perceived tensions between Google and Samsung had threatened to derail the dominance of Android, but a landmark patent agreement, announced this weekend, seems to have put all that nonsense to bed.
The Korean hardware giant confirmed a wide-ranging ten-year licensing alliance, which includes all existing patents and those filed by both companies over the next decade.
Update: Samsung's making friends all over the place. It has now sealed a licensing deal with Ericsson, agreeing to pay around $650m upfront and a regular on-going fee to allow it to use some of Ericsson's patented tech in Samsung phones.
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The news comes following countless damaging legal battles raged around the world where Samsung and Apple have bickered around the world, often related to Samsung's use of the Android operating system.
Despite Google and Samsung's previous reluctance to take action against each other, the agreement seems like a symbolic amnesty in the hope that the tide of suit and counter suit might subside.
Better friends than enemies
The agreement also places Google firmly in Samsung's corner as the pair continue to battle iOS in the smartphone and tablet arena.
"This agreement with Google is highly significant for the industry," said Dr. Seungho Ahn, the Head of Samsung's Intellectual Property Center, before taking a swipe at Apple.
"Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes," he said.
Google's Allen Lo added: "By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation."
Reports over the last few years have highlighted the threat Samsung poses to Android with its ever-increasing market monopoly.
Many observers have suggested that Samsung could use its power to influence the future of the operating system, but it appears that both companies have decided, for now, that they're better friends than enemies.
Via 9to5Google
