Samsung Electronics president Shin Jong-kyun and Apple CEO Tim Cook are likely to have a face-to-face meeting over their ongoing patent disputes, news reports said on Wednesday.

The news came after a California district court judge on Tuesday asked Apple and Samsung to hold talks one more time before a new patent infringement trial is scheduled to kick off in March.

Reports said the two electronic giants agreed to pursue talks by January 8, but did not specify an exact date or location for the meeting.

The Apple chief executive already met with Samsung’s vice chairman Choi Gee-sung earlier last year to discuss matters regarding their ongoing patent disputes, but failed to reach an agreement. 

Samsung and Apple have been locked in a bitter legal struggle around the world as they fight for supremacy in the more than $300 billion smartphone market.

The two have each won and lost legal skirmishes in the last couple of years. In earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh re-examined the $1 billion awarded to Apple and reduced the amount, saying the damages would need to be assessed in a new trial. The world’s two biggest smartphone makers returned to court on Tuesday for the selection of new jury members for the Mach trial.
(From news reports)