Apple, Samsung Patent Trial Kicks Off in U.S.

Jury selection began on Monday in a high-stakes U.S. patent battle
between Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the culmination of
more than a year of pretrial jousting with billions of dollars in the
balance.
Apple and Samsung, the world's largest consumer electronics
corporations, are waging legal war around the world, accusing each other
of patent violations as they vie for supremacy in a fast-growing market
for mobile devices.
The fight began last year when Apple sued Samsung in a San Jose,
California, federal court, accusing the South Korean company of slavishly
copying the iPhone and iPad . Samsung countersued.
The stakes are high, with Samsung facing potential U.S. sales bans of its
Galaxy smartphones and tablet computers, and Apple in a pivotal test of
its worldwide patent litigation strategy.
Long lines outside the federal courthouse in San Jose marked the
beginning of the trial as lawyers, media and observers flooded the
building to watch the proceedings.
A 10-member jury will hear evidence over at least four weeks, and it
must reach a unanimous decision for Apple or Samsung to prevail on any
of their claims.
That the jurors will hail from Silicon Valley, where Apple is an icon and
major employer, will be something for Samsung to consider during the
jury selection, said James Dobson, a jury consultant with Empirical
Creative.
"Although certainly if I were Samsung, I would be concerned about what
prospective jurors think about Apple, given that it's a huge employer
there," Dobson said, "by and large jurors want to do the right thing and
decide the case on the merits."
It has been tough going so far for Samsung in the case. U.S. District
Judge Lucy Koh halted U.S. sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, giving Apple a
significant early win. This was followed by a pretrial ban on the Galaxy
Nexus phone. Samsung has appealed both orders.
The trial is expected to last at least four weeks.
The case is U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, is Apple Inc
v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, No. 11-1846.