The epic Apple vs. Samsung trial comes to a close today, with both sides slated to deliver closing arguments before the jury goes on to begin the complex process of deliberating over this high profile case.
In a lawsuit filed in 2011, Apple accused competitor Samsung of stealing iPhone and iPad-related technology and in response, Samsung alleged Apple has repeatedly infringed on a number of its patents.
Specifically, the Apple lawsuit states that rival Samsung has "chosen to slavishly copy Apple's innovative technology, distinctive user interfaces, and elegant and distinctive product and packaging design, in violation of Apple's valuable intellectual property rights...Samsung has made its Galaxy phones and computer tablet work and look like Apple's products through widespread patent and trade dress infringement."
Samsung's opposing trial brief tells a different story. The South Korean-based electronics maker states that "Apple relied heavily on Samsung's technology to enter the telecommunications space, and it continues to use Samsung's technology in its...products...Samsung supplies the flash memory, main memory and application processor for the iPhone...but Apple also uses patented Samsung technology that it has not paid for."
The trial over these accusations, which has bolstered much interest over the past several months, is scheduled to finish Tuesday August 21st. Closing arguments will last most of the afternoon, before the seven-man, two-woman jury go into confidential deliberations.
Both of these major players in the mobile phone market are seeking tremendous monetary payouts from each other, depending on the outcome of the case. Samsung has sued Apple for between $300 and $500 million in royalties, while Apple is seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.5 billion from its adversary.
Lawyers will be given two hours each to present the closing arguments and then the presiding judge, Judge Lucy Koh, will read an uber-lengthy 100 pages of complex instructions to the jury before they begin their talks. The nine-person jury will also be asked to fill out a 21-page verdict form to tally points and dollars for each side.
Koh has voiced concern over the verbose and technical instructions and verdict form, fearing the jury may find itself facing unanticipated difficulties in deciding who, if anybody is at fault for what.
"I am worried we might have a seriously confused jury here," Koh said in court. "I have trouble understanding this, and I have spent a little more time with this than they have...the [document is] so complex, and there are so many pieces here."
The deliberations have been anticipated to last somewhere in the neighborhood of a week, though if Koh's concerns turn out to be valid, the time frame could prove to be considerably longer.