Having covered courts for a number of years, I can tell you that they can be great places of drama. The Apple-Samsugn patent trial in California has all the marks of a classic, even though it seems to be over dull pieces of paper. But its the value of the paper — the patents — and what’s at stake that makes it worth watching.
After a long weekend, here’s an update:
This report details that on Monday a university professor who is also a product design consultant — and witness for Apple — that physically Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G handset infrings on iPhone patents. Nothing Samsung’s lawyer tried to do could shake him.
On the other hand, SiliconValley.com’s version of Monday’s testimony draws out the fact that Apple paid the expert US$75,000. It also points out that Samsung is trying to show that Apple’s designs may well have come from innovations made by others.
This followed Friday’s testimony, outlined in this story, which recounts the testimony of both Apple and Samsung executives who hint at product inspiration. Also on Friday, the judge dismissed an Apple complaint that Samsung acted unethically in disclosing some non-admissible documents outside the trial.
Note that in this last report the judge lashed both sides for raising so many objections, and told them from now on objections will be raised during the time-limited trial, not when the jury is excused — meaning if they want to fight over little things, it will come out of witness time. Hopefully, it’s a good leash.
Meanwhile in Australia the two companies are also duking it out in court, with this ComputerWorld report detailing that Samsung has accused Apple of improperly influencing expert witnesses.