Ina Fried

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Give Peace a Chance, Judge Says, Asking Apple and Samsung CEOs to Meet One Last Time

The federal judge overseeing the Apple-Samsung patent trial on Wednesday asked the chief executives of both companies to meet one last time to see if some sort of settlement might be reached.

“I see risk here for both sides if we go to a verdict,” Judge Lucy Koh said on Wednesday. She said that if the companies were just seeking to show the world they both have intellectual property positions relative to tablets and smartphones, then “message delivered.”

Koh also noted that if what the parties were seeking is an external valuation of their portfolios, they are also getting that from trial courts worldwide.

“It’s time for peace,” she said.

Attorneys for both companies agreed to at least a telephone meeting between the two companies. Executives for both sides have previously met, to no avail, at the court’s direction.

Apple is suing Samsung for infringing on patents and designs related to the iPhone and iPad and seeking more than $2.5 billion in damages. Samsung denies those charges, and has countersued Apple for patent infringement.

Testimony in the case is due to wrap up on Friday or Monday, with closing arguments planned for Tuesday.

That said, there is still a way to go, including testimony on Wednesday that is likely to be some of the most dry and highly technical, as the focus shifts to the Samsung utility patents it accuses Apple of infringing. Unlike the rest of the patents at issue, which relate to either designs or features the average person can see and touch, these patents cover core wireless technologies.

Samsung is beginning its case on that front by playing video deposition testimony from some Intel workers. In just the first couple of minutes, the jury has heard about such riveting topics as “E-DPDCH transmit power gains.”

There was a lighthearted moment just before the jury arrived: Some technical problems meant there was only one copy of a flash drive or other electronic element for the attorneys.

Apple attorney Bill Lee said that it was fine to put it on Samsung’s table.

“You can put your tables together and share,” Koh said. As it is, only about a foot separates the counsel tables in the case.

“I think we are close enough already,” Lee said.


Apple versus Samsung Full Coverage

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