Apple, Creative Tech Settle Patent Dispute

Apple plans to record the license as an asset on its balance sheet, Dowling said. Because the company plans to amortize the license "over many years," Apple doesn't expect the settlement amount to materially affect its current-quarter results, he said.

The settlement amount is equivalent to about 11 cents a share, given Apple's diluted share count for its most recent quarter. But the amount is a pittance compared with the $9.2 billion in cash and short-term investments the company reported having on hand at the beginning of last month.

In contrast, Creative expects the deal to add 85 cents a share to its earnings in the current quarter.

Apple's stock closed regular trading on Wednesday off 31 cents, or 0.5%, to $67.31, while Creative's was off 5 cents, or 0.8%, to $6.01.