Judge Koh: 'global peace' between Apple and Samsung would be 'good for consumers'

While Judge Lucy Koh may not pull down the same staggering wage or get as much TV time as that other well-known arbiter, she's just as outspoken in her own courtroom. While presiding yesterday over the neverending story that is Apple v. Samsung, she called for "global peace" between the two. Inciting chuckles from the crowd, she reaffirmed her point: "I'm not joking... it would be good for consumers and good for the industry." Head lawyer for Samsung said the company was "willing to talk," but the opposition wasn't so amicable, claiming that the billion-odd judgment in its favor was a mere "slap on the wrist," and that clear boundaries were necessary for setting a precedent.

Cupertino 's camp also attacked Samsung's design decisions, saying they were knowingly taken to the limit of what it could legally get away with, while the Korean manufacturer's team thinks Apple wants to "compete through the courts rather than the marketplace," and was using the courts to conduct a smear campaign. When commenting on the patent rows in a TV interview yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook repeated his stance on litigation, but said there was "no other choice," and that "in a perfect world," companies would "invent their own stuff." Sadly, it looks like Judge Koh's plea for resolution won't have much of an impact, but we're with her in thinking: if only this had all played out during a 10-minute segment on daytime TV.