Continued Tension Between Samsung and Apple Offers Little Hope for Settlement

Yesterday, it was reported that Apple and Samsung were once and for all sitting down to negotiate and end to the patent dispute the two companies have been having. According to a new report that surfaced today, those talks are already breaking down.

Lawyers from both sides have expressed difficulty working with each other, according to a court-mandated update. Samsung's lead attorney referred to Apple as "jihadist" and called the trial "Apple's Vietnam."

Samsung's lead attorney John Quinn, who referred to Apple as a "jihadist" and called the protracted trial "Apple's Vietnam" in a pair of interviews. In a letter between the two law firms dated last week, Apple's law firm WilmerHale expressed reservations about spending additional time on discussing settlement options based on those interviews. The firm also accused Samsung of using the initial settlement talks to license Apple's patents in order to "clone Apple products," something the iPhone-maker called "counterfactual."


Samsung claimed Apple's lawyers were lording over it using court victories to dictate any possible settlement terms. Samsung also wrote in a filing that it believed Apple sought to "impose an obstacle" in terms of reaching a resolution. These recent revelations suggest that neither Apple or Samsung is interested in settling, despite recent reports.

Just last month a second trial between the two awarded Apple with $120 million in damages, but Apple had to pay Samsung $158,000 for its own patent infringements.

Read More via The Verge