With Jury Trial Looming, Apple And Samsung Once Again Meet To End '100 Years War'
July 19, 2012
Key executives from Apple and Samsung have met once again in the hopes of resolving numerous patent lawsuits before a July 30 deadline. The meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and top-ranking Samsung executives Choi Gee-sung and Shin Jong-kyun occurred on July 16 in California, according to The Korea Times.
The mediation, which was ordered by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California, is the second such meeting between the two companies. In May, the two sides met in San Francisco. However, those meetings failed to resolve the legal issues.
There has been no word on what was discussed at this most recent meeting.
As you may recall, Apple claims Samsung copied their iPhone and iPad designs. In an initial filing made in the U.S. in April 2011, Cupertino specifically targets Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, and Nexus S smartphones, and their Galaxy Tab tablet.
The battle has since been extended and now includes 50 lawsuits in 10 countries.
Late last month, Apple did succeed in convincing a U.S. judge that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was too similar to their best-selling iPad. In doing so, the tablet was pulled from shelves here. Apple also won an injunction against Samsung over the Galaxy Nexus.
However, in the U.K., Samsung has scored two victories.
Earlier this month, Judge Colin Birss rejected Apple’s attempt to have the Galaxy Tab 10.1 pulled from that market.
Later, the same judge ruled that Apple must advertise on their website that Samsung did not copy the iPad when they released the tablet.
In making his ruling, Judge Colin Birss required Apple to include the message on their U.K. website for six months and in “several newspapers and magazines to correct the damaging impression.”
If the latest talks between the two companies in the U.S. aren’t resolved, a jury trial will begin at the end of the month.
Many have called the battle between Apple and Samsung a “100 Years War” of intellectual property battles.
The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.
For more on the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, be sure to check out our previous coverage on the subject.
Source: The Korea Times.
