On the eve of their patent trial’s closing arguments, the chief executives of Apple and Samsung spoke with one another — as the judge ordered them to — but failed to come to an agreement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Kwon Oh Hyun met one final time last week. It was all for naught.
“The CEOs did speak … [but] there was no resolution,” according to Samsung lawyer Kevin Johnson, as reported by CNet today.
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The two companies are currently locked in a highly-publicized legal battle over intellectual properties related to mobile devices. Basically, Apple claims that Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs/phones (and other devices) are ripping off the iPad/iPhone. Samsung naturally denies those claims and argues that Apple is actually ripping off some of its own wireless technology patents. Aside from unleashing numerous prototypes, the trial has amounted to both sides arguing over what’s different about each other’s rectangle-screened devices.
Judge Lucy Koh, the presiding judge in the Apple-Samsung patent trial, had asked the two sides to speak with one another in a last-minute effort to avoid the potentially unpredictable outcome of the jury trial.
“I don’t mean to waste their time,” Koh said last week, referring to the jury.
Then, Koh said later, “It’s time for peace. If you could have your CEOs have one last conversation, I’d appreciate it.”
In other words: You kids, solve your own problems!
Koh has proven to be one of the most entertainingly direct jurists we’ve had the pleasure of reporting on in a long time. As this trial has gone on, it seems clear her patience with the two warring factions has been wearing thin. We’ve collected some of Koh’s best quotes, so check those out.
Closing arguments in the trial are scheduled for tomorrow. VentureBeat will be reporting live from the San Jose courthouse.
