Despite two days of court-ordered mediation between Samsung and Apple, the two smartphone giants were unable to reach any agreement that might have staved off their impending patent litigation. Though Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung and Apple CEO Tim Cook were both present for the talks, no compromise could be made, according to a Samsung official who spoke to The Korea Times.

The mediation was ordered by Judge Judy Koh, who is overseeing two federal patent infringement suits between the two companies in the US. Cook had recently expressed a possible interest in settling the dispute between the two companies out of court "if we could get to some kind of arrangement where we'd be assured [they are inventing their own products] and get a fair settlement on the stuff that's occurred."

"I've always hated litigation and I continue to hate it," Cook said during Apple's most recent financial results announcement, but "we just want people to invent their own stuff."

With no settlement reached, the trial is set to begin July 30.

Samsung and Apple have been locked in a bitter legal battle since Apple sued Samsung over patent infringements and trade dress violations in April last year. The dispute spilled over into courts all over the world, including Germany, Australia, and Japan, with Apple and Samsung equally filing suits and countersuits involving a wide range of smartphone and tablet products.

Samsung's complaints largely center on patents considered essential to wireless 3G standards, which are typically encumbered by agreements to license such patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. Using the patents in order to gain injunction against Apple has raised the ire of the European Commission, which is investigating Samsung's FRAND patent suits to determine if the actions run afoul of anti-competition laws.

While the legal struggles between the two companies continue, however, Samsung remains one of Apple's primary component suppliers for its mobile products, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.