A U.S. judge presiding over the patent infringement trial of U.S. technology giant Apple, Inc. (AAPL) and South Korean conglomerate Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSNLF.PK, SSNNF.PK) urged both companies' chief executives to talk to each other to settle the case before the jury begins its deliberations, media reported Wednesday.
Judge Lucy Koh, presiding over the case at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, reportedly said, "I'm going to make one more request that CEO's from both sides speak by phone. I see risks here for both sides."
Jury deliberations in the patent infringement trial over the design of smartphones and tablet computers is set to begin in the next week.
The Judge reportedly suggested that the two tech companies might want to settle the case as the testimony shows that both might have infringed on each other's patents.
The legal battle between the two companies started in April 2011 when Apple accused Samsung of copying key design elements in smartphones and tablets. Samsung and Apple have filed at least 30 lawsuits against each other in at least 12 courts, nine countries, and four continents involving smartphone and tablet patents since then.
Apple has already won other major victories against Samsung as the sale of Samsung tablets are banned in Germany and its three latest Galaxy smartphone models are banned in the Netherlands.
The U.S. trial, which is now in its third week, is likely to see Samsung facing a potential ban of its Galaxy smartphones and tablets in the U.S., while Apple has put to test the legitimacy of its worldwide patent litigation strategy. In the trial, Apple is seeking damages of $2.5 billion, while Samsung is seeking 2.4 percent for each iPhone sold in the U.S.
As per reports, Koh told attorneys for the companies that they had succeeded in raising awareness about the importance of their intellectual property rights.
Both companies' top executives had participated in failed mediation with a U.S. magistrate judge several times earlier. Koh asked them to explore settlement once again.
Apple shares closed Wednesday's trading at $630.83, down $0.86 or 0.14 percent. In the after-hours trading, shares gained 0.11 percent, to close at $631.50.
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