Judge Calls for 'Global Peace' in Apple v. Samsung Case

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Judge Lucy Koh, who continues to oversee the Apple v. Samsung patent lawsuit in the U.S., appears to be tiring of the litigation. She is pushing both firms towards “global peace” and said she intends to finish up her rulings in the case before the end of the year.

PCWorld’s Martyn Williams reported, “At the end of a long court hearing in California on Thursday that saw Apple and Samsung argue over a US$1 billion damages award granted to Apple this summer, Judge Lucy Koh had a simple yet optimistic request: global peace. ‘When is this case going to resolve?’ she asked lawyers for the two sides.”

Tim Bradshaw with the Financial Times noted, “The question prompted laughter from the public gallery, which included many journalists who have reported on the bitter legal battle between Samsung and Apple that continues in courts around the world. But Judge Koh said: ‘I’m not joking . . . I’ve said this all along. I think it’s time for global peace . . . If there is any way this court can facilitate some sort of resolution, I’d like to do that. I think it would be good for consumers and good for the industry.'”

The Associated Press wrote, “Urging the world’s largest smartphone makers to settle their differences, a federal judge said she will issue rulings aimed at resolving a multifaceted legal battle between Apple and Samsung. ‘I think it’s time for global peace,’ U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh told lawyers for the two electronics giants, during a court hearing Thursday in San Jose. Koh appeared ready to trim a $1 billion jury verdict Apple won over Samsung Electronics this summer. She said over the next several weeks she would issue a series of rulings to address the many legal issues raised at the hearing.”

The Washington Post’s Hayley Tsukayama observed, “Despite a call from the bench for ‘global peace,’ Apple and Samsung continued to slug it out over patent issues in court late Thursday. The two companies continued their fights about damages, the possibility of an injunction and the outcome of the August jury trial that put Samsung on the hook for $1.05 billion in damages to Apple. Lawyers for both sides stuck to their guns even as Judge Lucy Koh — who presided over the jury case as well — poked holes in their arguments and expressed frustration with the drawn-out dispute.”