Microsoft and Google have agreed to bury all patent infringement litigation against each other, the companies have announced, settling 18 cases in the United States and Germany.
In another sign of the winding down of the global smartphone wars, the companies said the deal puts an end to court fights involving a variety of technologies, including mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and patents used in Microsoft's Xbox game consoles and other Windows products.
One of the most bitter disputes between the rivals began in 2010 when Microsoft accused Motorola, later acquired by Mountain View, California-based Google, of breaching its obligation to offer licenses to its wireless and video patents used in Xbox systems at a reasonable cost.
