Samsung's Lee Jae-Yong visits in respect for Jobs

Samsung's COO and president Lee Jae-yong is attending Apple's private Steve Jobs memorial at Stanford on Sunday, an insider claimed the same day. The executive, Reuters heard, would go beyond the official condolences to pay his personal respects after receiving an invitation from Apple. It's unclear if his father, Samsung's chairman Lee Kun-hee, was invited and planned to go.

Lee Jae-yong might also visit CEO Tim Cook to talk cooperation, the media said outside of the possible slip. The source didn't confirm or deny the discussion, although it would reportedly center on "bilateral cooperation."

It's not apparent whether or not this might involve a possible legal truce. Samsung has been seeing a string of losses in court, including a denied Dutch injunction, a hostile US court opinion on its infringement, and an upheld Australian ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Samsung has been basing a large number of its countering lawsuits and counterclaims on 3G patents but may not have a case as the Dutch court argued that they were standards patents and couldn't be abused.

Lee's tribute may come independently of any negotiation. While Apple and Samsung have been increasingly portrayed as bitter enemies, the two have often been regular collaborators. Apple is still one of Samsung's largest customers for chips. Although Apple might be moving away to avoid depending too heavily on a company it's currently suing, Samsung may be eager to respect Apple's cooperation and possibly to win back some business.

By Electronista Staff

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industry, Steve Jobs, Samsung, lawsuits, Apple