International litigation
A dispute over patents between Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Apple Inc. may be resolved through mediation. The decision to mediate this matter appears to have been directed by the court as this matter is otherwise set to go to trial in March.
The two parties and their attorneys have already discussed possible settlement options on various occasions. This case revolves around use of technology contained in Samsung’s latest smartphones which would include the Samsung Galaxy S3.
There appears to be a long history of an international litigation concerning intellectual property disputes between the two large companies. There have been disputes regarding patents involving handsets and tablets that have been marketed around the world.
In one patent infringement lawsuit already tried in federal court, the jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930 million for alleged intellectual property violations. Other trials have taken place concerning the corporations as well.
One only needs to look at the number of dollars involved to understand the importance that international litigation attorneys will play in these matters. When it comes to patent disputes over products sold in Florida and around the world, we are also dealing with a variety of sometimes conflicting laws and regulations.
These matters are also not isolated instances. Even a verdict of close to a billion dollars does not mean that the international litigation between business rivals will come to an end. Each side has its own set of business interests to protect, and any compromise, negotiation or an international litigation concerning a dispute needs to be conducted with the benefit of the corporation in mind.
Source: International Business Times, “Apple, Samsung Agree to Explore ‘Settlement Opportunities’ in Patent Dispute,” Sreeja VN, Jan. 9, 2014