Closing arguments in latest Apple, Samsung case
Closing arguments in the latest patent dispute between Apple and Samsung have been heard at a California court.
The two smartphone makers have been slogging it out at the US District Court for the Northern District of California since the trial started on March 31.
Samsung’s attorneys told the jury Apple had “vastly exaggerated” the importance of its patented features, while Apple argued that the South Korean company could not have competed in the smartphone market without unfairly copying its flagship product.
The jury began deliberating yesterday, April 30, and a verdict could be reached at any time.
If either company proves patent infringement, it could then ask District Judge Lucy Koh to order a sales ban.
The case involves five Apple patents, which cover iPhone features like slide to unlock and search technology.
During the proceedings, Samsung asserted a counter claim that Apple’s FaceTime video-calling feature infringes a patent it owns.
The claim centres on US patent 5,579,239, called remote video transmission system. It says the patent is infringed every time an iPhone user uses FaceTime or sends a video message.
Samsung is demanding $6 million from its Californian rival for the alleged infringement.
It also asserted US patent number 6,226,449 in the trial, covering a function that shows the difference between photos and videos when they are next to each other.
Apple landed the first blow of the high-profile patent war in August 2012 after the same court said Samsung infringed its patents through 14 of its products.
Initially, Samsung was ordered to pay $1.05 billion to Apple, but Judge Lucy Koh vacated $450 million from the figure after ruling that the jury had not adequately calculated a portion of the damages.
After a revision, Samsung was ordered to pay $290 million, taking total damages past $900 million.
