THE JUDGE presiding over an intellectual property dispute between Apple and Samsung Electronics said the chief executives of the contending companies should talk again before the jury begins deliberating.

“I’m going to make one more request that CEOs from both sides speak by phone,” US district judge Lucy Koh said in a federal court yesterday in San Jose, California. “I see risks here for both sides,” she said.

Judge Koh earlier this year ordered Apple chief executive Tim Cook to meet face to face with his counterpart at Samsung, Choi Gee-sung. That conference didn’t yield a settlement. “It’s at least worth one more try,” the judge said.

Apple sued Samsung in April 2011, accusing it of copying patented designs for mobile devices, and Samsung countersued.

The case is the first to go before a federal jury in a battle being waged on four continents for dominance in the smartphone market.

Apple is claiming at least $2.5 billion (€2.03 billion) in damages for patent and trade-dress infringement. It also wants to make permanent a preliminary ban it won on US sales of a Samsung tablet, and extend the ban to Samsung smartphones.

Samsung wants the jury to find Apple’s patents invalid and award unspecified damages for alleged infringement of its patents.

“If all you wanted is to raise that you have IP on these devices, message delivered,” Judge Koh said.

“External valuations” of the intellectual property have been established at the San Jose trial and in other courts, she said. “In many ways, mission accomplished,” she added. “It’s time for peace.”

Attorneys for both sides said they would obey her request. Counsel for Apple, Bruce Sewell, who was in court, told the judge he would deliver the message to his company.

Judge Koh has given each side 25 hours to present its case.

The trial is set to conclude late this month. Jury deliberations may begin as early as August 21st, she said. – (Bloomberg)