Two technology giants will battle in federal court on Monday in a highly observed trial over control of the U.S. smartphone and computer tablet markets. Apple Inc., the world’s most valuable company, filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. in 2011, alleging the world’s largest technology company’s smartphones and computer tablets are illegal knockoffs of its very popular iPhone and iPad products. The California based company is demanding $2.5 billion in damages.
Samsung argues that Apple is stealing and that some of the technology at issue, such as the rounded rectangular designs of smartphones and tablets, has been an industry standard for years. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose in June ordered Samsung to retrieve its Galaxy 10.1 computer tablet from the U.S. market pending the result of the trial, and barred Apple attorneys from telling the jurors about the ban. Although the case will be decided by 10 jurors, the Koh has the authority to overrule their decision if she thinks their verdict was incorrect.
