Edible Apple

As the Apple-Samsung legal battle is in high gear during its third week, US District Court Judge Lucy Koh is still holding out hope that maybe the two parties can come to agreement before a jury verdict is reached.

“I see risk here for both sides if we go to a verdict,” Koh explained earlier today. If all Samsung and Apple want to do, Koh continued, is to show everyone their intellectual property positions as it pertains to smartphones and tablets, then “message delivered.”

“It’s time for peace,” she added.

Hopeful words, to be sure, but I doubt anything will come of it given the manner in which both Samsung and Apple have been going after each other in the courtroom the last few weeks. Koh does have a point to the extent that once a verdict is reached, it may prove to be too much of a blow to whoever winds up on the losing side of that decision. In this prisoners dilemma of legal battles, so to speak, it may be advantageous for both sides to avoid an adverse judgement and come to a settlement.

Of course, if it were that easy we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.

Ina Fried of All Things D writes:

Attorneys for both companies agreed to at least a telephone meeting between the two companies. Executives for both sides have previously met, to no avail, at the court’s direction…

Testimony in the case is due to wrap up on Friday or Monday, with closing arguments planned for Tuesday.

You might recall that Tim Cook previously met with Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung bac in May as part of some court ordered mediation.

We reported at the time:

Tim Cook has of course said that he’s not a fan of litigation, but at the same time, warned other companies that they need to develop their own products instead of copying Apple’s. To that end, it remains unclear if the two CEOs will be able to hammer out an agreement but my first inclination is that their dispute will be heading to trial come July.

And now that the trial is nearing its conclusion, the result, should a verdict be rendered, will unquestionably have huge repercussions across the entire mobile landscape.