Patent expert Florian Mueller compiled an extensive list of nearly every Apple-Samsung lawsuit since the two companies first initiated their patent nuclear war last April.
The list of patent filings includes 50 plus initial filings in ten different countries. The initial filings don’t begin to describe the breadth and scope of the suits though. After the initial filing suits can be consolidated or they can be split up into multiple lawsuits by the courts which happens far more frequently according to Mueller.
“For example, German courts usually look at only one patent per litigation, and sometimes assign more than one case number per patent if there's a delay with serving the complaint on one of two or more defendants.”— Mueller
Considering the massive number of suits on the table, the financial commitment on each company’s behalf must be enormous which is likely a driving force behind Apple and Samsung's plans to engage in settlement talks in front of a judge in San Francisco on May 21 and 22.
Neither company is in financial trouble and continue to post industry leading profits each quarter. With both companies assuming stances based on their strength it’s tough to imagine that the settlement talks will be anything less than heated. If the talks succeed executives and shareholders will likely breathe a collective sigh of relief. If talks deteriorate, prospective patent lawyers have something to look forward to in an otherwise down job market for law school graduates.
Source: FOSS Patents [via CNET]
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