Apple, Samsung couldn’t agree on patent values, report says

Neither Apple nor Samsung can agree on what their rival’s patents are worth. That was the outcome of a last-minute court-ordered discussion chief executive Tim Cook and his Korean counterpart held last week, Reuters reported this morning.

Just days from the July 30 start of a patent infringement trial in California’s court, Apple says Samsung’s patents are overpriced, while the South Korean tablet and smartphone maker thinks its patent portfolio is stronger than the iPad maker’s.

The two parties held an earlier negotiating conference in May with similar results, the news service reports.  The value of each company’s patents is at the heart of next week’s trial set for a San Jose, Calif. federal courthouse.  Samsung wants to license patents from Apple at the so-called “fair and reasonable” terms, yet believes Apple is more willing to sue competitors than offer agreeable licensing fees.

For its part, Apple has a number of patents related to tablet gestures and design factors.

For months, Apple and Samsung have wrangled in courtroom skirmishes. In the latest episode, Apple won a split decision from a German court that ruled Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1N is unlike the iPad enough that sales can continue. However, the South Korean’s smaller Galaxy 7.7 ban in Germany was effectively increased to sales across all EU states.

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