Patent deal signed by Samsung and Google

A new patent deal has been announced between Google and Samsung, with the two companies teaming up to reduce the potential for litigation in the future.

Samsung and Google have already been working together and the Android operating system for smartphones that was made by Google is used in Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S4.

In a statement, Samsung revealed that the new patent deal is set to cover "a broad range of technologies and business areas", as well as applying to both existing patents and any new ones that are filed over the next decade.

Seungho Ahn, head of Samsung's Intellectual Property Center said in the statement that the two firms are showing the rest of the technology industry what can be gained from working together.

He pointed out that patent disputes – such as the ones that have been seen between Apple and Samsung in recent years – are "unnecessary".

Strength in numbers

Speaking to BBC News, Andrew Milroy, an analyst at consultancy Frost & Sullivan predicted that Samsung and Google are looking for strength in numbers by teaming up for the deal.

He said: "I'm not sure if the agreement means Samsung can use Google patents and vice-versa. But if they are collaborating it protects them from litigation, since the pair of them together is a stronger unit."

The deal between Samsung and Google could result in the two companies working even closer together in the coming years, with rivals such as Apple among those likely to be keeping an eye on how the agreement affects the technology sector in the coming years.

Following the announcement of the new patents agreement by Google and Samsung, the share price of the Korean company was slightly down during trading today (January 27th).

Over the course of the session, stocks in the firm slipped by just over one per cent in Korea. However, Samsung still remains one of the most popular companies to invest in across the major Asian markets.

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