Sharp and Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp. signed a patent cross license agreement today to mutually utilize patents relating to LCD panels and LCD modules owned by each party.

Both Sharp and AUO have led the LCD industry with development of advanced display technologies, and have built an extensive patent portfolio in the field of TFT-LCD.

"Both parties have agreed to utilize LCD related patents of the other on the basis of mutual respect for each other's intellectual property rights," the companies said in a statement.

The agreement follows lawsuits filed by both companies against each other earlier this year. Sharp on January 24 filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission against AU Optronics asd well as lawsuit against AUO at the United States District Court for Delaware. Sharp alleged that AUOO's LCD panels or LCD modules infringed its patents.

Responding to Sharp's legal move, AUO last month filed two complaints against Sharp Corporation for patent infringement. The first complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and the second one in the United States Central District of California.

Upon signing the patent cross license agreement, Sharp and AUO said that they would dismiss all pending legal actions over LCD related patents that have been filed against each other.