Apple in April 2011, claiming the South Korean electronics giant had violated a long list of Apple patents and trademarks in its Android smartphones and tablets. Samsung then sued Apple on patent claims of its own. In February, Apple sued Samsung again on similar grounds, citing products Samsung had introduced after the 2011 complaint was filed. The companies are now embroiled in an array of disputes in courts in several countries.

Also in the joint statement filed Tuesday, each side asked the court not to allow some opposing witnesses and made a variety of other requests for ground rules of the trial. Among other things, Apple asked that the Samsung logo on in-court video screens be obscured during the trial. Apple also wanted the court to exclude any arguments or evidence based on statements attributed to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the popular biography written by Walter Isaacson, as well as any references to working conditions in China or to the size of Apple's tax bills.

On Wednesday, Judge Koh and lawyers for Apple and Samsung also briefly discussed preparations for a trial over Apple's 2012 suit. She tentatively set the trial date in that case for March 31, 2014.

The suits pit the world's top two smartphone makers against each other and is shaping up as a showdown between Apple's iOS and Google's Android, the mobile operating systems that power the lion's share of phones and tablets sold worldwide.

Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested last week that Apple might be open to a settlement. "I would highly prefer to settle versus battle," Cook said during a conference call to discuss Apple's financial results. However, he also said, "We just want people to invent their own stuff."