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Apple snubs Samsung's Oz patent peace offering

Cupertino wants Galaxy kit banned ASAP

Apple has rejected Samsung's peace deal in an Australian court, preferring instead to go to trial where a win could influence its other lawsuits around the world.

Last week, Samsung offered an undisclosed compromise aiming to halt the battle in Oz, which is now focused on just one disputed patent. Neither manufacturer let on the nitty-gritty attached to the fig leaf, but it was likely to involve Samsung's countersuit against Apple in Australia over seven of its patents.

The two companies are locked in an epic worldwide smackdown over the patents involved in the lucrative smartphone and fondleslab markets. Apple insists that Samsung's Galaxy line-up "slavishly" copies the iconic iPads and iPhones, while Samsung says that the fruity firm's mobile devices have been "free riding" on its patents.

On Tuesday, the Jobsian juggernaut told the Federal Court in Sydney that the Korean giant's offered deal gave no basis for settlement, according to a Reuters report.

"It is one we don't accept and there is no surprise. The main reason we are here is to prevent the launch and maintain the status quo," Apple lawyer Steven Burley said.

The Jesus-mobe maker wants to rush to trial now that negotiations are over, and Burley said that Samsung should agree to the expedited court process.

"The decision as to not being available to conduct an early final hearing is no more than a tactical one - a tactical one which is designed to maximise the chances of Samsung launching what we would submit is an infringing product," he added.

For its part, Samsung said that the chances of a quick settlement were pretty slim now.

"It is not going to be achievable, your honour, given the positions advanced by each party," a Samsung lawyer told the court.

If Apple gets its wish to speed things up, the case could be heard as early as the last week of October.

Any decision in Australia could help or hinder the companies' cases in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and the US, to name but a few of the plethora of suits they have against each other.

Apple has already succeeded in blocking Galaxy tablets in Germany and Galaxy phones in the Netherlands for now, while Samsung voluntarily delayed its Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch in Australia as it awaits the court's decision there.

The Sydney court is expected to rule on Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction on the Tab this week. ®

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