Samsung, Apple CEOs to discuss lawsuit settlement

The chiefs of smartphone and tablet rivals Samsung and Apple will meet to discuss settling a bitter two year legal battle over designs and technologies of smartphones and tablets. Samsung and Apple have been locked in courtroom battles for over two years, with both companies filing suits around the world in order to gain an edge over rivals.

A filing with the U.S. District court in San Jose showed that senior legal executives from Apple and Samsung agreed earlier this week that the CEOs will meet by or before February 19. The agreement was made in response to a court order to submit a proposal for settlement discussions before a new trial begins in March. The March trial involves more recent mobile devices than previous cases.

The same court ordered Apple and Samsung CEOs to meet in 2012 for settlement talks. Samsung declined to comment.

Many industry watchers predict the two companies will ultimately settle their patent lawsuits outside court. The world’s top two smartphone makers have waged legal battles over mobile devices since Apple accused Samsung of copying the iPhone and the iPad 2011. Later, Samsung claimed Apple used its technologies without permissions, expanding battles to courts in Asia, Europe and North America.

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While fighting for the dominance in the global smartphone industry, Samsung has also been a supplier of key components for Apple’s iPhones and iPads. The court document did not say which of the three Samsung chiefs will meet Tim Cook, Apple CEO.