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Apple and Samsung agree to try mediation before their upcoming patent battle

Apple and Samsung agree to try mediation before their upcoming patent battle

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Gallery Photo: Apple v. Samsung trial evidence: August 6, 2012
Gallery Photo: Apple v. Samsung trial evidence: August 6, 2012

Apple and Samsung have agreed to attend a mediation session by February 19 to resolve their seemingly never-ending disputes over smartphone patents, according to a court filing first reported by Reuters.

The two companies are set to go to trial in March if they can't settle their issues out of court. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon are slated to attend the session with their in-house legal counsel.

In the first trial, Apple accused Samsung of infringing its patents with a long list of devices. After a series of back-and-forths, Samsung was found to have violated some Apple patents and the Cupertino giant was awarded damages. At this point, the companies are both suing each other. The second trial is not much different, except that it concerns different devices.

Judge Lucy Koh has encouraged both sides to try mediation throughout the entire painful process. Unfortunately, previous attempts didn't go so well. It's more likely we'll see a familiar story: a drawn-out trial and subsequent marathon of appeals.