SAMSUNG Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. said yesterday they had agreed to drop all patent litigation outside the United States, scaling down a protracted legal battle between the smartphone rivals.

    The iPhone and Galaxy handset makers issued nearly identical statements announcing the global ceasefire while vowing to pursue ongoing litigation in the United States, which analysts say involves much bigger amounts of potential damages.

    The South Korean and U.S. tech giants declined to disclose the terms of the deal but said it did not involve “any licensing arrangements and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

    The agreement ends patent disputes in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom, countries where the smartphone market leaders had engaged armies of lawyers for what analysts said were questionable gains.

    “Their fighting spirit has weakened and they now seek to focus on the key battleground, the U.S.,” said Young Park, a Hyundai Securities technology analyst. (SD-Agencies)