Samsung recently moved forward with arguments in its case against Apple by going on the offensive. The South Korean electronics giant is alleging that Apple infringed on three patents regarding the usability of multi-feature portable devices like smartphones.
In court on Tuesday, Harvard professor and patent specialist Woodward Yang was called to the stand as Samsung’s fourth witness. He gave his testimony regarding three patents currently owned by Samsung which covered photos, email attachments and playing music in the background. According to in-court reports from CNET, Yang claims to have spent roughly 300 to 400 hours researching Apple devices for trial purposes, concluding that certain models of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch all infringe on Samsung’s patents.
Yang demoed a photo emailing patent during his testimony by showing Apple’s iDevices sending pictures taken of an orange. He went on to say the invention was designed with feature phones in mind, doing away with the hassle of connecting the device to a computer to offload photos. It isn’t clear if the patent covers Apple’s integrated photo sharing options though. In another photo-related patent claim, Samsung tried to assert a photo album patent where users can bookmark a specific photo for viewing later. Yang demoed the allegedly infringed upon feature on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 2, and fourth generation iPod Touch, all of which presented the same image when bringing up a photo roll in an app other than Apple’s default Photos. Last but not least, Samsung asserted a patent which described a software solution for music to be played in the background behind other open apps. Here, Yang noted the idea for the claim was to find a way to keep music playing when switching through apps and while keeping device size down by not introducing decoding hardware.
During Apple’s cross-examination, Apple lawyer Bill Lee went on the offensive, referencing a page frm Samsung’s slide-by-side comparison of the iPhone and what was targeted for the Galaxy S, stating the Korean company studied Apple’s implementation of email attachments. Lee brought up the following: "In your 400 hours of work, you have not found one iota of evidence that Apple knew about the '893 patent, or copied the '893 patent," and Yang agreed the assertion was true. It was noted by the Apple lawyer that none of the patent investors testified in Samsung’s defense, nor does the company use any of the asserted properties in its smartphones. The cross-examination ended with Lee asking Yang how Apple could of possibly copied the features if they weren’t even present on Samsung’s devices at the time of the iPhone’s release.
We’ll have to see what’s in store for the two tech giants as the Apple vs. Samsung trial continues.
Source: CNET
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