Judge asks Samsung-Apple chiefs to resolve patent spat

A US judge on Wednesday urged the chiefs of Apple and Samsung to negotiate a truce in their high-profile patent trial here, saying it was "time for peace." US District Court Judge Lucy Koh asked the heads of Apple and Samsung to speak on the phone in order to reach a legal settlement before the matter is put in the hands of jurors, probably late next week. "I see risk here for both sides; I think it's at least worth one more chance," Koh said while asking that Apple chief Tim Cook and Samsung boss Kwon Oh-Hyun personally connect to end the dispute. "If what you all had wanted is to raise awareness that you have IP (intellectual property) on these devices, message delivered," she continued. "In many ways, it's message delivered. It's time for peace." Two days of court-directed peace talks in May between Cook and then-Samsung chief Choi Gee-Sung were fruitless, clearing the way for the high-stakes trial that started on July 30 in Silicon Valley. Kwon took the helm at the world's largest technology firm in June after his predecessor Choi Gee-Sung was appointed to head the strategy office for the Samsung group, of which the electronics firm is the flagship. Apple and Samsung each accuse the other of infringing on patented technology in smartphones or tablets and are fighting patent battles in more than half a dozen countries. "If you have wanted some valuation on the IP...I think you have all gotten it from courts worldwide," Koh told Apple and Samsung, which agreed to have their respective chiefs speak on the phone. Samsung this week has been calling witnesses in a counterattack on Apple, which rested its side of the case on Friday. Apple accuses Samsung of unabashedly copying features from iPads and iPhones for competing gadgets powered by Google-backed Android software and is seeking more than $2.5 billion in damages. Samsung adamantly denies any wrongdoing and is intent on showing that it is Apple who has infringed on its patents.