2010 Apple licence offer: US$30 per smartphone, US$40 per tablet

Few patent-licensing companies would ever publicly reveal royalty agreements they make with others. Add Apple to the mix and you can see how true that statement might be.

Even so, Apple entered, into evidence in its trial with Samsung, a document showing that it had offered the South Korean company a licensing deal on some of its key technologies. Specifically, Apple offered to license the portfolio of patents if Samsung would pay US$30 per smartphone and US$40 per tablet.

To sweeten the deal, Apple offered a 20 percent discount if Samsung would cross-license some of its patents back to Apple as part of the arrangement. In addition, Apple wanted royalties on Samsung's Windows-based phones. In the document, Apple said Samsung would have owed it US$250 million in 2010.

Of course, things didn't quite work between the two companies, as they are now in a very public trial with each other. A small portion of this exhibit came out during the weekend, alongside a testimony from Boris Teksler, Apple's director of patent licensing and strategy. Teksler told the court about Apple's three-pronged patent strategy, noting that there was a small subset of what it considered unique patents, including designs, that it did not share with others.

The complete document is one of many that have become public in the case between the two technology giants. The case will run through this week, and is expected to last the rest of the month with closing arguments and jury deliberation. Samsung faces fines in excess of US$2.5 billion if Apple wins, though Samsung has also pointed patents back at Apple, something that could complicate verdict.

Here's the full document:

Samsung-Apple licences

Via CNET.com