Samsung Electronics and Apple have not yet reached an out-of-court settlement during their second round of closed negotiations in the ongoing patent war between the global smart phone and tablet juggernauts. 

Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung, now chief of Samsung Group Future Strategy Office, accompanied by Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung Electronics Mobile Division, had a private meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook in San Francisco for a second time in a few months on July 16, as ordered by the Northern District Court of California so as to help the two companies settle the patent suit without costly and lengthy legal proceedings.

It is still unsure whether they will reach any deal in the end, industry sources said. 

Both sides remain mum about details of their negotiations, they said.    

The patent battle between the two electronics giants involves 20-odd current legal actions stretching across 10 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

Samsung and Apple reconfirmed their positions in their first closed meetings this past May °™ Apple accused Samsung of copying its design and Samsung counterattacked with a suit for infringement of telecommunications patents. But chances are high the two companies might reach a negotiated settlement since they had working-level legal affairs officials consultations prior to their latest closed meeting between CEOs, a business source familiar to the matter said.

Despite some progress from both sides, the source said, the two companies may take on each other in a court trial, which is scheduled to open on July 30 in the United States, and chances are high that they might accept a court-ordered settlement during the upcoming trials.  

Samsung and Apple have been engaged in tit-for-tat legal battles against each other on the basis of infringements of the intellectual property pertaining to their mainstay series of smartphones, Galaxy and i-Phone, in the global market. Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S3 is on a roll in the global market while Apple is expected to release the i-Phone 5 this fall. 

In a related development, Samsung Electronics has sold 10 million Samsung Galaxy S3 units in less than two months since its global release on May 29.

Samsung Electronics President Shin remarked on July 22, “The Galaxy S3 is selling well, and more than 10 million units have already sold.” He made the comment at Gimpo International Airport where he saw off Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who left for London to participate in the upcoming London Summer Olympics as an IOC member. 

Galaxy S3’ s joining the list of “10 million sellers” was unprecedented, given the Galaxy S2’ s record of having hit the 10 million mark five months after its release.  It means that an average of 190,000 Galaxy S3 units have sold on a daily basis. 

‘GALAXY S3’ S NEW CONCEPT OF SMARTPHONE’  

Samsung Electronics, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced the third generation Galaxy S3 in London on May 3. As described by Samsung, “It is designed for humans and inspired by nature, the Galaxy S3 is a smartphone that recognizes your voice, understands your intention, and lets you share a moment instantly and easily.”

This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With the Samsung Galaxy S3, users can view content like never before on the device’ s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8 megapixel camera and a 1.9 megapixel front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition-related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung Galaxy S3 is powered by Android￠‚ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier. Packed with intuitive technology, the Galaxy S3 delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised. 

“With the Galaxy S3, Samsung has maximized consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said Shin Jong-kyun, president and head of the IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the Galaxy S3 has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural, and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live an extraordinary life.”