Samsung, Apple agree to end patent disputes outside U.S.

SEOUL, Aug. 6  -- Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that it has agreed with Apple to end all patent lawsuits outside of the United States.

"Samsung Electronics and Apple have agreed to end patent- related disputes in all countries, except for the U.S.," the company said in a statement.

The agreement, however, is not related to a patent licensing deal between the two, and the patent lawsuit in the U.S. will continue, Samsung said.

The legal battle between the two began in April 2011 when Apple sued Samsung in the United States for infringing on its patents.

The legal disputes have, since then, spread to nine countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Australia besides the United States.