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'Apple and Cisco have agreed to extend the time for Apple to respond to the lawsuit to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability,' they said in a brief statement.

Prior to Apple's unveiling of its iPhone at the beginning of January, it had contacted Cisco on several occasions to seek permission to use the name.

But it introduced the phone-iPod hybrid without Cisco's knowledge or permission, prompting Cisco to seek legal redress, a reaction Apple described as 'silly'.