Samsung, Apple U.S. Settlement Talks in U.S. Set for May

Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. are scheduled to meet next month for settlement talks in their patent dispute with a U.S. judge reiterating that chief executive officers from both companies must attend.

The settlement conference is set for May 21 and 22 at 9:30 a.m. local time in a San Francisco courthouse, according to an order from Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero. Nam Ki Yung, a Seoul- based Samsung spokesman, confirmed the order, while Steve Park, a Seoul-based spokesman for Apple, declined to comment.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose on April 17 ordered the CEOs of both companies to attend the conference. Apple claims Samsung’s 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, among other products, infringe its patents. In December, Koh ruled against Apple’s request to block Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung from selling the phone and tablet in the U.S. The order followed an Australian court ruling that lifted an injunction barring sales in that country.

Spero ordered each side to prepare a settlement conference statement, outlining the dispute, an evaluation of the parties’ likelihood of winning and their positions on a settlement.

“The more candid the parties are, the more productive the conference will be,” Spero said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shinhye Kang in Seoul at skang24@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Tighe at mtighe4@bloomberg.net