For years, the tech industry has been hobbled by an all-out patent war. The ease in which software can be patented and the power of those patents to protect even the most trivial innovation has incentivized large firms to spend billions of dollars annually securing software protection and using the court system to block competition or extract concessions from rival firms. Nowhere is this more evident than the smart-phone industry, where companies like Apple, Samsung and HTC have been engaged in costly litigation across the globe. But in November, Apple struck a licensing agreement with smart-phone manufacturer HTC, in which Apple agreed to license a host of patents for 10 years and cease all litigation against the Taiwanese hardware maker. While patent laws around the world are still in dire need of reform, the deal gave industry observers hope that the biggest players in the tech industry might start spending fewer resources on patent lawyers and more on making better products for consumers.