Samsung and Apple to Discuss Settling Patent Infringement Lawsuits

Apple, Samsung, and their respective CEOs will meet in San Francisco to discuss patent disputes that are pending in countries around the world.

Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero, the judge who will preside over the settlement, scheduled the settlement conference for the companies and their CEOs to occur on May 21 and 22. The goal is to have these two companies reach an agreement on their own, rather than have a court impose one.

Apple and Samsung currently have disputes pending in 10 countries. These are lawsuits and counter-suits in which these two claim that some feature(s) of their competitor's smartphones or tablets infringe on one or more patents that they hold. 

The European Debate

Apple originally sued Samsung in the Community Designs Court of the European Union in Alicante, Spain for infringement, hoping to seek a decision of European-wide effect with respect to its design-related rights.

The court in Alicante has the authority to impose a Europe-wide ban on products infringing Community design regardless of whether or not Samsung is considered to have “establishments” in any given European country, which was another issue previously disputed in Germany.

Source: FOSS Patents