Apple and Microsoft patent consortium to end lawsuits against Android

It seems that Rockstar, a consortium of large technology companies that includes Apple and Microsoft, is going to stop its lawsuits against Android manufacturers. Earlier this month, Rockstar and Google are said to have reached an agreement.

Documents filed in a US court show that an agreement has been reached between the Rockstar patent consortium, not to be confused with the game maker, and Google. Arrangements would have been made between the two parties as early as November 12, reports Iam Magazine, which discovered court documents. It is unclear whether Google will pay a sum of money to the prosecutor.

Not only does Rockstar appear to be seeking a settlement, but are also planning to put patent litigation on the back burner. Although Rockstar was formed to defend the intellectual property of its member companies, the consortium appears to be largely ceasing these activities, sources told Iam Magazine. A takeover of Rockstar would also have been rejected; a number of companies within the consortium would not feel like making Rockstar a so-called ‘patent troll’.

The discontinuation of the lawsuits would mainly be related to a change of course by Apple, according to Iam Magazine. Under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, the company would like to focus less on pursuing lawsuits against Android manufacturers. Apple would have the biggest influence within Rockstar. In the past there have been many lawsuits between Apple and Android manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC and also Google itself. Samsung previously entered into an agreement with Apple to end Android patent cases, although a number of cases are still dragging on.

Last year, Google filed a lawsuit against Rockstar. The company wanted to make sure it got a statement that its Nexus devices don’t infringe on the consortium’s patents. The parties are still in the process of reaching a settlement in this case.