Apple reaches iPhone trademark deal with Cisco

Apple and Cisco Systems announced a resolution to their dispute over rights to the iPhone trademark. Under the terms of the out-of-court settlement, the companies will share global ownership of the iPhone brand on their respective handsets, with both sides agreeing to dismiss all pending legal action over the trademark. In a joint statement, Apple and Cisco also said they would "explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, consumer and enterprise applications." Other terms of the deal were undisclosed.

In its original filing against Apple, Cisco claimed its ownership of the iPhone trademark dates back to its 2000 acquisition of start-up Infogear Technology; the networking equipment giant formally launched its VoIP-enabled iPhone device in late 2006, some time ahead of Apple's much-touted multimedia handset announcement. Upon filing the trademark infringement suit in mid-January, Cisco CEO John Chambers said his company was more interested in interoperability than a financial settlement.

For more on the Apple/Cisco settlement:
- read this San Francisco Chronicle article