An end to the seemingly eternal courtroom struggle between Apple and Samsung may finally be on the horizon, following reports that the two companies’ top brass are to discuss a settlement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and his Korean counterpart Ji-Sung Choi will meet in a Mafia-style sit-down in the next 90-days, according to the FOSS Patents website.
The two companies have been at loggerheads for exactly a year since Apple filed patent infringement suits across the world, alleging Samsung’s Galaxy gadgets ‘blatantly copied’ the iPhone and iPad.
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The forthcoming meeting offers the opportunity to draw a line under the suit-counter-suit saga, which has often drawn as much attention as the rivals’ smartphone and tablet releases.
Willing to participate
The meeting was requested by California’s Judge Lucy Koh and will be overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero.
A joint statement from Apple and Samsung’s representatives told the California court presiding over the suit: "As directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate in a Magistrate Judge Settlement Conference with Judge Spero as mediator.
"At Apple, the chief executive officer and general counsel are the appropriate decision-makers, and they will represent Apple during the upcoming settlement discussions. At Samsung, the chief executive officer and general counsel are also the appropriate decision-makers, and they will represent Samsung during these settlement discussions."
A settlement, if one can be reached, would allow Apple and Samsung to refocus on the business of making unthinkable amounts of money together.
Samsung supplies Apple with many of the components for its gadgets in a joint economy believed to be worth around $8 billion a year.
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