Tim Cook reportedly opposed suing Samsung but was overruled by Steve Jobs in 2011

[Corey]

When Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook says that he hates patent litigation, he's apparently not bluffing. In a long Reuters piece about the complicated relationship between Apple and rival Samsung (005930), unnamed sources claim that Cook was always opposed to suing Samsung but was overruled by then-CEO Steve Jobs. According to Reuters' sources, Cook was against filing patent suits against Samsung "largely because of that company's critical role as a supplier of components for the iPhone and the iPad." Given Cook's role in building and managing Apple's first-rate supply chain over the years, it makes sense that he'd be opposed to any strategy that could disrupt the company's relationship with suppliers. Nonetheless, Apple has still followed through with Jobs' plan for a "thermonuclear" war legal against Samsung and other Android vendors even after his passing in 2011. Reuters speculates, however, that given Apple's lack of success in obtaining sales bans for Samsung devices that the two companies will reach a stalemate in the near future and that the patent wars between them will slowly wind down.

 

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