Another court battle looms for Apple and Samsung as patent talks fail

First rumored in the Korean press last month, Apple and Samsung have now said in a filing with the US district court that they’ve been unable to amicably resolve a new round of patent disputes after having agreed in January to try mediation before going to court. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise: the two companies have found very little common ground in a series of intellectual property disputes that led to a billion-dollar judgment against Samsung in 2012. The latest talks are said to have gone all the way to the top, roping in both Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Mobile boss JK Shin.

The mediation effort covered a newer set of devices that Apple claims infringes on its intellectual property, which — as The Wall Street Journal notes — could eventually lead to even higher damages than before as Samsung’s smartphone and tablet sales have exploded in recent years. Now that they’ve walked away from the negotiating table with absolutiely nothing to show for it, the consumer electronics giants are now slated to head to court in March for what could be the biggest legal battle of the year for the tech industry.