Ina Fried

Recent Posts by Ina Fried

Judge to Apple and Samsung: So How Does All This End?

The federal judge overseeing the Apple-Samsung case asked a question last week that is clearly on everyone’s mind.

When will all of this mobile patent warfare come to an end?

Unfortunately, the responses that she and the rest of us got back indicate that the answer is probably no time soon.

For her part, Koh urged the parties to rethink their combattive approach.

“I’ve said this all along,” Koh said during Thursday’s hearing. “I think it is time for global peace.”

Koh made a similar suggestion at the end of the trial, also to no avail. With no real alternative, Koh is working on deciding various post-trial motions and getting things set up for the inevitable appeal. However, she said a settlement would be better.

“It would be good for consumers, it would be good for the industry and I think it would be good for the parties.”

But Apple and Samsung seem as determined as ever to continue fighting one another. Samsung is seeking a new trial and a substantial reduction in damages from either Judge Koh or an appeals court, while Apple wants a sales ban it says is needed to make sure Samsung stops its copying.

And the Apple-Samsung dispute isn’t limited to the federal courthouse in San Jose. The two companies are also battling in courtrooms in Europe and Asia as well as in a battle before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

And theirs is just one of several big battles that is raging. Apple recently settled with HTC, but key disputes remain, including Oracle and Google as well as battles between Google’s Motorola unit and both Apple and Microsoft.

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There was a worry before I started this that I was going to burn every bridge I had. But I realize now that there are some bridges that are worth burning.

— Valleywag editor Sam Biddle