In case you have been living under a rock recently, then you’ll know about the extended patent disputes going on between Samsung and Apple:
- Apple ordered to apologise to Samsung (UK)
- Apple goes after Galaxy 10.1 tab retailers (USA)
- Apple demands retailers halt Galaxy Nexus sales
- Samsung beat Apple in court over iPad vs Galaxy 10.1 Tab case (UK)
US District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California ordered both Apple and Samsung to sit down and discuss putting an end to the on-going patent lawsuits that are being fought across the world. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and Samsung’s executives Choi Gee-sung and Shin Jong-kyun are the big shots who have reportedly been doing the talking.
The US jury trial is scheduled for July 30th but the two companies decided to meet before that. This is the second time Samsung and Apple have met over the last few months.
The incentive for Samsung and Apple to resolve this dispute is even more prominent if you consider that they are both very big business partners. Samsung provides large orders of processors, LCDs and memory to Apple, totalling $7.8 billion so far for 2012.
Both companies are due back to court in over a week so we should find out whether the talks reaped any constructive progress for company relations and for an end to patent disputes which are currently affecting consumer choice.
