Steve Jobs and Tim Cook argued over Samsung patent battle

Apple co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs was involved in a standoff with current chief executive Tim Cook over whether the company should launch “thermonuclear” patent lawsuits against Samsung, according to sources in the company.

According to a Reuters report, sources in the company say Cook and Jobs were at a standoff on how to respond to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet device, after Apple had asked the Korean electronics giant to modify its designs.

Jobs advocated attempting to block the products being released to the market through a series of “thermonuclear” patent lawsuits.

Cook was opposed to a protracted series of patent lawsuits against Samsung on the grounds the company had been a major component supplier for Apple since 2005. Last year alone, Apple purchased over $US8 billion worth of semiconductors and other components off Samsung.