Global electronics heavyweights Apple and Samsung are said to have renewed efforts to peacefully resolve their years-long legal battle over Samsung's infringement on Apple patents before the parties head back to court next year.
The talks do not yet include Apple CEO Tim Cook or Samsung mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun but are progressing, according to the Korea Times. Apple reportedly wants more than $30 per device from Samsung, while the Korean conglomerate prefers a patent cross-licensing agreement that would grant access to Apple's deep portfolio of design and technical patents.
After Apple's landmark victory in a case that resulted in damage awards of nearly $900 million, the two companies are set to meet in U.S. Federal Court again in March, and presiding Judge Lucy Koh has urged both sides to come to an agreement before that trial begins. Samsung believes Apple's current request is "too much," according to the paper, but Apple is said to be flexible in its demands.
An official at Korea's Fair Trade Commission told the Times that "as far as I know, the companies recently resumed working-level discussions toward the signing of a potential deal. They are in the process of narrowing differences over royalty payments."
Apple and Samsung have been attempting to settle their differences and end their extensive worldwide legal battle for nearly two years. Cook has expressed a preference for resolving the disputes amicably, saying that he has "always hated litigation" and that "if we could get to some kind of arrangement where we could be assured that [a guarantee against future patent infringement is] the case, I highly prefer to settle versus battle."
Last year, Apple and Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC settled their own patent dispute with a 10-year licensing agreement said to cover all current and future patents. "We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC. We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation," Cook said then in a succinct statement.