Phil Schiller to testify in upcoming Apple/Samsung trial
With Apple and Samsung still bickering over their last trial, it's hard to believe that the two companies this March will begin a completely new patent infringement trial over a bevy of accused Samsung products.
With the trial date steadily approaching, Phil Schiller will soon have to tuck in his shirt and don a suit as he will be called to testify, according to a recent report from from PC World.
"Mr. Schiller will be called to testify regarding design, development, promotion, marketing, advertising, consumer demand for, and sales of the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and other Apple products, including the features accused of infringing the Samsung feature patents, the smartphone and tablet markets, the Apple brand and Apple's marketing and advertising efforts," Samsung said in a filing Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
When the higher-ups at Apple take the stand, it's generally a good idea to pay close attention as you never know what type of nuggets may be divulged.
During Apple and Samsung's first go-round, for example, Schiller testified that he was floored at how similar Samsung's products were to Apple's.
"I was pretty shocked when I saw the Galaxy S phone and the extent to which it appeared to copy Apple's products," Schiller explained on the stand. Schiller further added, "My first thought was they're going to steal our whole product line."
While there's no reason to believe that the two companies will reach a settlement agreement before trial begins, that isn't stopping Judge Lucy Koh from trying to facilitate such an agreement. Under court orders, Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Kwon Oh-hyun will meet on February 19 in a last-ditch effort to reach a compromise and avoid the time and expense of a completely new trial.
Samsung further indicated that it may call Scott Forstall to take the stand as well.
Apple and Samsung's first trial yielded a treasure trove of interesting tidbits, including information about the original iPhone development process along with photos of various iPhone prototypes. Perhaps the second trial will be just as enlightening.
