Will tech rivals Apple and Samsung ever be able to put aside their years of differences, animosity and patent litigation and finally find a way to cooperate in the tech community? Probably not, but they're certainly going to try... Again.
According to the Bloomberg News, the two smartphone and tablet rivals are going to work together with a mediator in an effort to settle their patent disputes in advance of a second trial on the issues scheduled for this spring.
The agreement, filed in federal court in San Jose today, was in response to U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh's request that both sides submit a settlement discussion proposal before trial back in November. Senior legal executives from both companies met Jan. 6 to discuss "settlement opportunities," according to the proposal.
The person who will be mediating the discussions between the two tech giants has not been named but has been described as having "experience mediating high profile disputes," according to the filing. The chief executive officers and three to four company lawyers will attend the mediation before Feb. 19, no outside lawyers will be permitted in the discussions.
According to Bloomberg, Apple and Samsung have previously tried and failed to reach an agreement through court-ordered settlement negotiations. In 2012, Apple filed its first patent infringement case in San Jose, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero handled the negotiations. The companies also met at least twice in 2011 to discuss settling their ongoing disputes before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The two companies have been going back and forth over patent infringement cases for years now with Apple winning victories and Samsung winning others. Last month Apple asked Koh to bar sales of more than 20 smartphones and tablets that a jury in 2012 found to infringe on Apple's patents. Total damages owed by Samsung in that case stand at $930 million. Apple is still seeking an order to ban Samsung sales after the first patent trial in California, even though those devices are no longer on the market.
The idea is to deter Samsung from infringing on Apple patents with future products. Do you think the two companies will be successful with a mediator this time around? Comment and share your thoughts on the Apple vs. Samsung dispute below.