Samsung wants details of Apple's settlement with HTC

In a court filing this afternoon, Samsung requests that Apple provide a copy of its patent license agreement with HTC.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Samsung is showing its first public interest in the settlement that ended the legal fight between rival Apple and HTC this past week.
Samsung this afternoon filed a request with the court for Apple to provide a copy of its patent license agreement with HTC.
That deal, announced on Saturday, put an end to the bitter battle between the two companies, a conflict that's similar, but smaller in scale to the one between Apple and Samsung.
In its filing, Samsung says it wants to see what patents were covered as part of the agreement since there may be some overlap with the ones used in the case between it and Apple, including the '381 and '915 patents, which cover "bounce back" and scrolling and zooming, respectively.
"As you know, the issue of Apple's willingness to license its patents was briefed in Samsung's opposition to Apple's motion for permanent injunction," wrote Quinn Emanuel's Robert Becher, who is representing Samsung in the case. "This license has direct bearing on the question of irreparable harm and whether monetary remedies are adequate."
Becher added that the license could also shed light on whether Apple included some of its "unique" user experience patents, which it doesn't share with other companies. In a testimony about that collection, Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler referred to that collection as "untouchables," that it only shared with a very small handful of other companies.
Samsung declined to comment on the filing.
Samsung says it wants the court to weigh in on the matter no later than November 27.
Following last week's deal with HTC, curiosity has heightened over the possibility of a settlement between Apple and Samsung, which legal experts believe to be inevitable. With that said, one of Samsung's top mobile executives earlier this week said the company had no plans to negotiate with Apple.
Both companies are due back in court on December 6 for a hearing that is expected to iron out some of the aftermath of the August jury verdict that landed squarely in Apple's favor. Some of that includes a motion by Apple to permanently ban at least eight of Samsung's devices in the U.S., as well as one by Samsung that seeks to get the entire trial thrown out.
Updated at 2:47 p.m. PT to reflect that the motion requesting the agreement was filed.