Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation ahead of patent trial

According to new paperwork filed earlier this afternoon, Apple and Samsung have agreed to attend a mediation session next month ahead of their second major US patent trial, which is slated to begin on March 31.

The meeting is to take place on or before February 19, and is to be attended by Tim Cook, Samsung’s Oh-Hyun Kwon and their respective in-house lawyers. And they will attempt to discuss settlement opportunities…

From Reuters’ Edwin Chan and Andrew Longstreth:

“Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics have agreed to attend a mediation session to be held on or before February 19, as they prepare to clash in court in March over smartphone patents.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon will attend the session with in-house lawyers only, according to a Wednesday court filing. Their legal teams had met on January 6 to “discuss settlement opportunities,” the filing read.”

This won’t be the first time the two sides have met to try and reach a settlement. Cook has held similar mediation sessions with Samsung Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung and mobile head Shin Jong-Kyun, but to no avail.

In the past 3 years, Apple and Samsung have been involved in numerous patent battlesaround the globe. They’ve met twice in San Jose, California federal court, where Apple has been awarded roughly $930 million in damages.

The verdict is in: Samsung must pay Apple an additional $290 million

The verdict is in folks. After just a few days of deliberation, a jury of six women and two men reached a conclusion for the retrial between Apple and Samsung over damages, and it’s ruled in favor of the iPad-maker. Samsung must pay Apple $290 million.

This is in addition to the damages awarded in the original trial last fall, bringing the total amount Samsung owes up to $890 million. So essentially, Apple won back most of the damages that Judge Koh cut in March after finding the initial verdict flawed…

Here’s Bloomberg with the report:

“Apple Inc. won more than $290 million in damages from Samsung Electronics Co. for patent infringement in a do-over trial that restored most of the amount cut from the iPhone maker’s jury victory in 2012.

A jury of six women and two men decided the damages amount today after a week-long trial in federal court in San Jose, California, where Apple won a $1.05 billion verdict against Samsung last year over copying of technology used in smartphones. 

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh cut $410.5 million in March after finding the original verdict was flawed because jurors miscalculated the period that the infringement occurred for 13 Samsung devices. In the retrial, Apple sought to restore $380 million of the amount cut, while Samsung recommended that the jury award $52 million.”

Although the jury didn’t award Apple the entire $380 million it was looking for, this is still a big win for the company. Not only has it won almost $1 billion from Samsung, but it also has the possibility of winning an injunction against the infringing devices.

Here’s Apple’s statement to AllThingsD on today’s decision:

“For Apple, this case has always been about more than patents and money,” Apple said in a statement to AllThingsD. “It has been about innovation and the hard work that goes into inventing products that people love. While it’s impossible to put a price tag on those values, we are grateful to the jury for showing Samsung that copying has a cost.”

At the time of writing, Samsung had not yet responded to requests for comment.