Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co are starting to wind down their global patent battle. The companies said in a joint statement that they have agreed to drop all suits against each other in countries outside the US. The agreement shows Apple and Samsung may be nearing a conclusion to what has been a drawn-out and occasionally nasty worldwide patent fight. Neither side won an overarching decision harming the other's sales, and judges repeatedly urged the companies to settle rather than play out their dispute in court. The two can't quite let go of their animosity in the US, where, for the moment, lawyerly skirmishing will continue. Still, there are signs of deescalation, even in Apple's home country. The companies announced in June that they would drop appeals of a patent-infringement case at the US International Trade Commission that had resulted in a not-terribly-important import ban on some older Samsung phones.