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HTC CEO slams Apple settlement estimates, calls them outrageous

Chief exec Peter Chou says he's happy with the agreement struck with Apple to end a long-running and bitter legal battle.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng
HTC CEO Peter Chou. Stephen Shankland/CNET

HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou said today that he was happy with the settlement reached with Apple, and called the estimates floating around "outrageous."

Earlier this month, Apple and HTC struck a 10-year cross-licensing agreement, putting to bed a long-running and bitter legal battle. While the companies didn't disclose the terms of the deal, analysts had surmised that HTC was on the losing end, and would pay upwards of $6 to $8 per Android phone.

Chou, speaking to reporters, including Reuters, at a product event in Japan, slammed the estimates as inaccurate and "baseless," but didn't provide any additional numbers.

HTC President Jason MacKenzie told CNET earlier that he was happy with the settlement and that the deal wouldn't significantly impact the company's financials.

HTC was the first company Apple targeted in its legal attack on Android, and its settlement with HTC have some hoping for a similar resolution to a similar legal clash with Samsung Electronics. Samsung said yesterday that it wanted to see the details of the Apple-HTC settlement because the deal may involve similar patents.

A Samsung executive said it didn't intend to negotiate with Apple.

HTC, meanwhile, gets to put away the distraction of multiple lawsuits and can get back to focusing on its turnaround efforts.