Are Apple and Samsung about to end their legal wars?

Apple and Smasung have fought each other in courts all over the world, from the US and South Korea to Australia and Germany. Soon though, all that drama could come to an end.

According to Tech Wire Asia the two companies are getting ready to sit down and talk to each other.

It seems then, that the two tech giants have heeded the advice of a US judge who ordered them to sit down and reconcile their differences out of court.

The disputes arose primarily because of concerns around patents, with Apple claiming that Samsung stole designs from the iPhone and iPad for its Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets. Samsung meanwhile claims that its Cupertino-based counterpart stole 3G tech from it.

Steve Jobs was notoriously harsh on Android and products running the Google-owned OS. In fact, he vowed to crush it before his death. It is believed that new CEO Tim Cook is far more conciliatory and open to negotiation.

According to Tech Wire Asia, one possible outcome of the talks is a cross-platform licensing agreement, which allows the two companies to use each other’s technologies across a range of products.

One side effect is that the two could free up a little cash by putting a halt to their legal squabbles. After all, Apple spent US$100-million on its legal team in 2011.