Samsung offers Apple TOP-SECRET peace deal in Australia

Samsung has held out the olive branch to Apple to end their patent dispute in Australia, a Sydney court was told today.

The lawyers didn't elaborate on what the proposal might be, or indeed if it could be applicable in any of the other fronts in the Apple v Samsung IP clash, but Apple's lawyer Steven Burley said the company would need time to consider it, according to a report by Bloomberg.

This plan would remove the last obstacle to Aussie peace, as Samsung has whittled the Jobsian juggernaut's original patent infringement tally down to just one after agreeing earlier this week to remove two more features from the Galaxy 10.1 fondleslab, the main bone of contention.

Apple first lodged moans about 10 of its patents in Australian court, later extended to 13 after the Jobsians received a prototype of the Galaxy. But negotiations between the two sides got that down to one, with Samsung making a number of feature changes to the version of the tablet destined for the Aussie market.

As has proved typical in the Apple v Samsung cases in jurisdictions that allow for it, the iPad maker is looking for an injunction on Samsung stuff, in this case the Galaxy. A decision on the injunction is still pending and the Korean firm has voluntarily held off on launching the tablet pending the ruling.

The case won't reconvene until 4 October, because of a public holiday in New South Wales, but the judge is hoping to settle the injunction question sometime next week.

"I can't promise when I'll make a decision," Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett said. "I will try to get it out as soon as possible."

If the case continues to trial, it could be heard as early as the last week of October.

Samsung had not replied to request for comment at time of publication. ®