US judge orders Apple to tell Samsung details of HTC deal

SAN FRANCISCO (REUTERS) - A judge in the United States has ordered Apple Inc. to disclose to rival Samsung Electronics details of a legal settlement the iPhone maker reached with Taiwan's HTC Corp, including terms of a 10-year patents licensing agreement.

The Korean electronics giant had earlier filed a motion to compel its US rival - with whom it is waging a bitter legal battle over mobile patents across several countries - to reveal details of the settlement that was reached on Nov. 10 with HTC but which have been kept under wraps.

In August, the iPhone maker won a US$1.05 billion (S$1.28 billion) verdict against Samsung after a US jury found that certain Samsung gadgets violated Apple's software and design patents.

Now, legal experts say the question of which patents are covered by the Apple-HTC settlement, and licensing details, could be instrumental in Samsung's efforts to thwart Apple's subsequent quest for a permanent sales ban on its products.