Court Orders Apple and Samsung CEOs to Explore Patent Settlement

Apple and Samsung have legal battles in several countries over a range of issues. Today both companies agreed to sit down to hopefully reach a settlement agreement on the suits filed in Northern California, which could bring the US arguments to an end.

According to FOSS Patents, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Gee-Sung Choi, along with general counsel from both companies, have agreed an “Alternative Dispute Resolution.”

Judge Lucy Koh ordered the discussions which both CEOs agreed to attend. If either CEO refused, the ADR would not happen.

The companies must meet within 90 days. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero will oversee the meetings, that will take place in a courthouse in San Francisco, California. 

The two companies aren’t required to reach an agreement. The court has only ordered that they sit down and discuss a possible settlement. If the discussions go nowhere Apple and Samsung will argue the patents in court.

The courts took a similar action in the Google and Oracle case over Android. Twice the discussions led nowhere, and now the two companies are battling each other in court. There’s a possibility that the same thing will happen in this case. Of course, there’s also a possibility that the two company will reach a settlement.

Whether the two companies reach an agreement or not, this will have no effect on the other lawsuits they have in other countries. The legal battles between Apple and Samsung will continue for a long time, there’s just a possibility, however slim, that the U.S. legal battles will soon come to and end.