Are Apple and Samsung calling a TRUCE over patent lawsuits
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For more than three years, Apple and Samsung have been at loggerheads over patent infringements, but the war could soon be coming to an end.
Reports in the Korea Times claim the tech giants have agreed to begin talks to settle such disputes out of court.
The claims come after a jury awarded both companies damages during a high-profile court battle earlier this month, which made it easier to resume talks.
Apple and Samsung are reportedly in talks to bring their long-standing patent battle to an end. Sources 'directly involved in the matter' said a recent court ruling which said they were both at fault, to varying degrees, made it easier for talks to resume. Although more time will be needed for the two firms to fix terms regarding royalties
APPLE VERSUS SAMSUNG
The latest case began on 31 March and a jury concluded both firms were at fault to varying degrees.
In 2010 Apple began by suing Samsung, but the Korean firm counter-sued just days later.
Apple then secured an injunction to restrict sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe.
In July 2012, Apple was told to publicly state Samsung hadn't copied its designs, but in August 2012 Apple won $1 billion in damages.
These damages were then dropped from $1 billion (£593 million) to around $800 million (£475 million).
In June last year, the International Trade Commission ruled iPads infringed on Samsung patents and should be banned in the U.S. This ruling was vetoed two months later.
A retrial began in November that Apple won, but Samsung appealed.
Sources 'directly involved in the matter' told the Korea Times: 'Some more time will be needed to fix terms of details such as royalty payments in return for using patents owned by each before reaching a full agreement.'
The two tech giants have been battling over patent lawsuits since 2010.
Each company accuses the other of stealing and using hardware and software features from their respective handsets.
The latest battle was brought by Apple and involved at least 10 patent software infringements from the 'slide to unlock' feature, to Face Time and video calls.
The court case began at the end of March, and at the start of this month a California jury reached a mixed verdict.
The eight-person jury agreed Samsung had infringed two Apple software patents, awarding the company a total of $119.6 million.
But the jury also found in favour of Samsung in its counterclaim, awarding the firm $158,400 for the infringement of one patent.
The $119.6 million is barely more than five per cent of the $2.2 billion in damages Apple asked of the court.
The latest case between the two companies was brought by Apple and concerned software infringements, including the 'slide to unlock' feature, pictured. A jury agreed Samsung infringed two Apple patents, and awarded $119.6 million, but also found in favour of Samsung, awarding it $158,400
It is also much less than the $930 million Apple was awarded in 2012 in the same court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in San Jose.
The move comes just days after Apple and Google bought a similar three-year battle to an end by issuing a statement saying they will be dismissing all patent disputes.
The most recent disputes applied to patents Google inherited when it bought Motorola Mobility in 2012.
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