IBM and Samsung share patent bed

IBM and Samsung have announced the signing of a patent cross-licensing agreement.

It will allow both technology giants to use each other's patented technologies without risking being taken to court by the other party.

Both IBM and Samsung, first and second on the list of companies to register patents in the US in 2010 respectively, showed their satisfaction at the agreement, noting they will remain independent.

Although the agreement's financial details were not disclosed, Samsung and IBM said their cooperation will reinforce their ability to produce better services and products while maintaining competitiveness.

Following the agreement, Ken King, vice president for patents, software and services intellectual property licensing for IBM, said the pact will provide IBM and Samsung with significant freedom of action, which will prove essential in the competitive global business environment, on top of protecting IBM's large investment in R&D.

In turn, Dr Seungho Ahn, executive vice president and head of the IP Centre at Samsung, expressed his hope that the agreement between his company and IBM "will open new opportunities for wider collaboration between two of the leading innovators in the technology industry."

Given the various patent battles which have been going on across the tech industry, it may come as no surprise IBM and Samsung have sought to protect themselves with such a deal.