Apple and Google call truce in smartphone patent battle

(socialON) Tech giants Apple and Google have agreed to drop their litigation battle over smartphones. Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility unit both informed a Washington court on May 16 that their cases were being dropped. In a joint statement, Apple and Google said they would “work together in some areas of patent reform”. The agreement reached between the two firms does not include licensing their technology to each other. In bids to protect their technology, Apple and companies that make phones using Google’s Android software have filed dozens of lawsuits against each other around the world over the last few years.