Judge says 'it's time for peace,' asks Apple and Samsung CEOs to discuss settlement

Apple v. Samsung presiding Judge Lucy Koh on Wednesday asked that the CEOs of both companies discuss possible settlement options at least once over the phone before the trial moves to jury deliberation next week.

Judge Koh made the request before proceedings began on Wednesday, saying "it's time for peace" in the ongoing Apple and Samsung patent dispute, which could have dear repercussions for one or both of the companies.

According to Reuters, after Judge Koh's urging to make peace, she said, "I see risks here to both sides if [the jury] goes to a verdict." Apple is seeking not only a sales ban of certain Samsung products alleged to have infringed on iPhone and iPad design and utility patents, but also monetary damages which could amount to over $2.5 billion.

Samsung has countered with its own claims, saying some of Apple's products infringe on wireless patents held by the South Korean company. Witnesses slated to take the stand later on Wednesday, including technical testimony from Tim Williams, will be speaking to that point.

Along with the settlement talk suggestion, Judge Koh once again asked the parties to narrow their respective cases before they reach the jury. "If you all want to keep overreaching that's up to you," Judge Koh said, according to an in-court tweet from Reuters reporter Dan Levine.

U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh.
Source: U.S. District Court

Apple CEO Tim Cook and top Samsung executives

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/21/apple_ceo_tim_cook_meeting_with_samsung_chief_today_in_california.html">already met

to discuss possible settlement options in the past in court-ordered mediation, but the meetings bore no fruit. During Apple's second quarter 2012 conference call, Cook said he would rather settle the litigation, but at the same time vowed to defend the company's intellectual property if need be.

"I've always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it," Cook said, noting that if there was a guarantee against future patent infringement he would "highly prefer to settle versus battle."

The Apple v. Samsung U.S. trial is scheduled to wrap up testimony this week, with jury deliberation coming after closing arguments are completed next Tuesday.

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103 Comments

solipsismx

said about 11 years ago

Good luck.

sflocal

said about 11 years ago

Hey Judge Koh, you're paid a lot of money to do your job. Shut up and do it and quit whining. Sure, we'd all like peace, but there comes a time where one has to stick to principle and make a statement that eventually benefits all.

Otherwise, Scamscum and other degenerates will know they can piggyback off the work of others with little or no repercussions.

Jeez, it irks the hell out of me when the legal system would rather people exchange money and not resolve the injustice that happened.

gatorguy

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

Good luck.

Interesting that she comments both sides are over-reaching since the predominant view (and not just from AI articles) is that it's a clear win for Apple, as good as $2B+ in the bank and sales blocked in the US.

macky the macky

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorguy

Your observation likely means that Samscum may be more willing to settle than they were before. If Apple backs off 20%, Samscum may move 80% to avoid losing 100%.

To come to a settlement also means neither party can appeal the non-verdict and drag this out for another year or two.

An added plus is that both sides can save face (that's a biggie for Samscum's management), plus the Samscum lawyers, who are facing some serious fines and/or sanctions once this is over, might escape with their family jewels intact.

ssquirrel

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by sflocal

They have tried to settle before. It didn't work. We'll see if it can work this time. Given how the trial is going, Samsung may be happy that hse has told them to try and settle again. Settle w/Apple and have some control over the outcome or let the trial finish and accept a judgment they can't control. I know which one sounds better in this situation. This shouldn't be looked at as Koh not doing her job, this is her trying to offer both sides a way to end this quicker and possibly save face. I don't see the problem. Look at it this way. It could cut more time off teh court case, which will save us (as in we, the people) money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorguy

It may be a clear win for Apple on some counts, but even the most hardcore Apple fan doesn't think every single item in the trial is completely in favor of Apple. Well, some may, who knows. Maybe I'm just reasonable heh.