Samsung and LG have agreed to cease all of their ongoing legal battles, Reuters reports, including a bizarre bout wherein Samsung accused an LG executive of sabotage.
The washing machine controversy began last fall, when Samsung accused LG appliances chief Jo Seong-jin of destroying Samsung appliances at a retail outlet in Cologne, Germany. Jo was indicted by Seoul officials last month, but Samsung is now asking those officials to be lenient in their prosecution.
Reuters notes the gentleman’s agreement also applies to LG’s accusations that Samsung staffers stole display technology from LG televisions.
The fighting between the two South Korean tech giants has gotten particularly intense in recent months, Reuters notes:
The two companies have attracted public mockery as they bickered over issues such as how many washers were damaged by Jo and other employees. When LG published surveillance video footage to YouTube in an attempt to prove Jo’s innocence, Samsung said the video was heavily edited in the executive’s favor.
The case adds to a history of clashes between the firms, including an argument over refrigerator capacity and which of the two has the bigger air-conditioning market share.
Samsung recently posted operating profit of 4.1 trillion won ($3.9 billion), a 60% drop from the year before. LG had a net loss of 206 billion won ($185.8 million) last quarter.
