Apple and Samsung are reported to be holding “working level” talks about resolving their ongoing legal dispute, with a recent strong performance in the courts from Samsung leading to the resumption, The Korea Times reported.

The paper said that more time will be needed to fix details such as the royalty payments involved between the two companies.

The report comes shortly after Apple ended its long-running legal battles with Google (and its Motorola Mobility arm), in what was seen as an indication that neither company felt it was holding a strong winning hand.

While Apple has had some high-profile success against Samsung, the South Korean handset number-one has also had some victories, but neither company has been able to land a decisive blow.

This could again make a settlement more likely, as any continued legal actions are likely to be long, expensive, and unlikely to have a material impact for either player.

The Korea Times cited patent expert Florian Mueller, who said that a settlement between Apple and Samsung may be similar to the Apple and Google deal – more akin to a ceasefire than an agreement on the companies’ intellectual property positions.

Mueller’s website, FOSS Patents, noted that Apple and Samsung are being less than genial with regards to a mediation effort requested by the US courts.

In this case, Apple wants assurances that its participation will not negatively impact future court actions – for example as evidence of its willingness to license patents – while Samsung said it will participate “without seeking to impose any comparable conditions on Apple”.

The Korea Times also said Apple is looking to be the only company to receive “compensation” for the use of its intellectual property following the mediation, despite the fact that Samsung has seen some success in cases involving its own patents.

It was noted that Samsung, emboldened by recent success, has argued that Apple “has nothing to show for its years of litigation and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on attorney’s fees”.