Apple has been embroiled in two lawsuits in the past day, starting with a quietly negotiated deal settling a two-year-old lawsuit from Minerva. The two asked Eastern District of Texas Judge Charles Everingham to dismiss the case after privately reaching an agreement, the terms of which aren't known. Companies such as Minerva, which are billed as "patent trolls" since they make no products of their own, often hinge their businesses on either royalties on sales or large cash settlements.
