Ever since the big flap over Microsoft "stealing" MacOS and the idea of a GUI they've had some kind of cold-war era red phone to communicate about these issues.

Ever since the big flap over Microsoft "stealing" MacOS and the idea of a GUI they've had some kind of cold-war era red phone to communicate about these issues. I can't recall a single instance of Apple and Microsoft going to court over intellectual property since then. Their lawyers probably work it out long before it becomes public. They're also participating in a number of patent pools together along with other organizations, so they're unlikely to get involved in a protracted legal battle.