Apple and Samsung fail to reach agreement in patent settlement talks

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung have failed to reach an agreement after two days of court-ordered settlement talks.

Despite efforts to find a resolution outside of the courts, the two companies' long-running patent dispute will now be decided at trial.

Judgement

The CEOs and their respective counsel met in San Francisco, spending a total of sixteen hours engaged in talks moderated by Magistrate Judge Spero - but all to no avail.

The Korea Herald has spoken to a Samsung official with knowledge of the talks, claiming that the case will see trial in July 2012.

Before that happens, however, Apple will be heading to the courts on 7 June in order to pursue a US sales ban of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - and it now seems likely that the court will side with Apple.

But even if this preliminary injunction is awarded, it would be an inconvenience rather than a disaster for Samsung.

The Korean firm could easily circumvent a sales halt with a relatively minor redesign, just as it did in Germany by releasing the Galaxy Tab 10.1N.

[source: Foss Patents]