Apple earned a small victory ahead of its second patent infringement trial against Samsung as a U.S. judge ruled Google must submit details regarding its Android mobile operating system.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal ordered Google to disclose how they are searching for internal documents Apple previously requested from them. Judge Grewal gave Google only two days to disclose the terms of their search as well as the names of the Google employees that have been gathering the information.
"The court cannot help but note the irony that Google, a pioneer in searching the Internet, is arguing that it would be unduly burdened by producing a list of how it searched its own files," wrote Grewal in his order.
Apple has requested the Google Android documents as the Cupertino-based company claims all Samsung products that have allegedly infringed their patents use the Android platform.
"It's a question of transparency," said Apple attorney Mark Lyon to Judge Grewal last week. "We have concerns that [Google is] not doing a full search."
The second Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement trial has not been given a specific court date, but it will pertain to newer devices such as the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3. As Latinos Post has been monitoring, Judge Koh reduced the $1.05 billion verdict of the first trial, awarded by a jury to Apple last August, by 40 percent. The percentage equates to approximately $450.5 million. Judge Koh further ordered that the second trial will only allow five patents and 10 products for Apple and Samsung each.
Judge Grewal ordered Google to submit the information in 48 hours following his ruling, meaning they were due this past weekend.
Relive the inception of the Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement trial with the Latino Post series chronicling the case. The first installment can be read here, dating back to Apple's original complaint, while the second installment on how the Apple vs. Samsung trials are proceeding worldwide, can be found here. The third installment on its impact on other tech companies, such as HTC and Motorola, can be viewed here.