“Apple and Samsung Electronics have until Monday to further boil down the number of claims to be considered in the sweeping intellectual-property lawsuit concerning their smartphone and tablet products, which is now scheduled to go to trial July 30,” Stephen Lawson reports for IDG News Service.
“Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered the companies to pare down the case, in which Apple and Samsung are suing each other over patent infringement and other claims, so a jury can understand and fairly judge the issues in one trial,” Lawson reports. “It was the second time the judge had asked them to downsize their claims. ”
Musil reports, “In a joint statement filed Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s conference, Apple and Samsung each had offered to drop some patents and claims from the case but said lack of cooperation from the other side prevented greater streamlining. But that left 16 patents, six trademarks, five ‘trade dress’ claims, and an antitrust case, with 37 products accused of violations. The companies each will have 25 hours to present their cases to a jury. ‘I think that’s cruel and unusual punishment to a jury, so I’m not willing to do it,’ Judge Koh said. ‘If you’re going to trial in July, this is not going to be acceptable.’ If the companies don’t present a more workable set of claims, the trial date could be pushed back to 2013, she suggested.”
Read more in the full article here.
Yes, that would be a torture. Jurors would go insane and require lengthy rehabilitation after this trial.
On the other side, I am not sure how else Samsung and Apple have to detail and describe their claims and counterclaims.
Too bad this isn’t Bonanza or Gunsmoke. I can see it now…
“Your Honor, these rustlers were caught red-handed with the stolen cattle.”
“Accused, do you have anything to say in your own defense?”
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“Hang ’em.”