In a move that could have big implications for a mobile device industry consumed by patent litigation, Google(s goog) and Samsung on Sunday announced they have entered into a ten-year cross-licensing agreement involving their respective patent portfolios.

The two companies, which each control tens of thousands of patents, said in a statement that the deal will further their “long-term cooperative partnership” and that the patents cover a broad range of technologies and business areas.

“By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation,” said Allen Lo, Google’s Deputy General Counsel for Patents in the statement.

The agreement comes more than two years after Samsung signed a patent cross-license deal with Microsoft that was described at the time as a blow to Google. While the Korean company and Google have long been allies as a result of their use of the Android operating system, the…