IT HAS been dubbed the patent trial of the century, and it gets under way this week. Barring a last-minute settlement, smartphone giants Apple and Samsung will square up to each other in court in the US today.
This is the latest spat in the rivals’ global war over smartphone patents; if recent cases in other jurisdictions are anything to go by, it is sure to provide plenty of fireworks.
Earlier this month, Samsung scored a win when a British judge ruled that its Galaxy tablets did not infringe Apple’s designs for the IPad – because they were not as cool. “They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design,” Judge Colin Birss said. “They are not as cool.”
And last week, an Australian judge branded a patent dispute between Samsung and Apple over wireless transmission technology as “ridiculous”, saying it might be best settled in mediation.
The highly anticipated US trial is due to begin today. Apple is claiming an eye-watering $2.5 billion in damages for the alleged infringement of its patents by Samsung.
However, there is speculation that the complexities of the case could leave members of the jury baffled and if this happens, it is expected to benefit Samsung rather than Apple.
