Edible Apple

Apple’s current legal battles with Samsung encapsulate a large number of patents, innumerable suits and countersuits, and have resulted in legal motions across 11 jurisdictions across the globe. As you may remember, Steve Jobs in his biography was quite vocal about his intent to go thermonuclear on Android, vowing to spend every last dime in Apple’s coffers to destroy Google’s mobile OS.

But Tim Cook is a bit more level headed about things.

A few weeks back, Business Week, citing people familiar with Apple’s legal situation, claimed that Samsung and Apple had been communicating with each other recently about settlement options.

“Apple CEO Tim Cook does not seem to share his predecessor’s passion about laying all foes to waste,” the report added. “Cook appears to view litigation as a necessary evil, not a vehicle of cosmic revenge.”

During Tuesday’s earnings conference call, Tim Cook was asked how Apple viewed its cash situation in light of the myriad of patent disputes the company currently finds itself entangled in.

Cook response seemed to validate the Business Week report above, at least to the extent that Cook isn’t a fan of using the courts to settle disputes.

I’ve always hated litigation always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it.. We just want people to invent their own stuff. If we could get an arrangement where we can be assured that’s the case, and that a fair settlement on stuff that’s occurred, I would highly prefer to settle vs battle.

The key thing is that it’s very important that Apple not become the developer for the world. We need people to invent their own stuff.

As it stands now, Apple is currently embroiled in Android-related patent disputes with Samsung, Motorola, and HTC and the only clear cut winners in all of this litigation are the lawyers.