Lawyers for Apple and Samsung squared off in court Monday at the start of a trial that could shape the future of mobile technology, DPA reported.
The trial in the US District Court in San Jose, California, centres on Apple's 2.5-billion-dollar (2-billion euro) claim that Samsung "slavishly copied" its designs for mobile phones and tablet computers. Samsung has countersued alleging that Apple has violated numerous patents registered to the South Korean electronics giant.
Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for Tuesday after lawyers completed the selection of a 10-member jury Monday, technology site Cnet.com reported.
The two companies, which are close business partners as well as fierce rivals in the mobile technology sector, are locked in patent litigation all over the world.
But the courtroom battle in San Jose, close to Apple's headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley, is likely to decide the competitive playing field for the mobile sector in the US and have a resounding global effect.
US District Judge Lucy Koh has already blocked the sale in the United States of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the flagship phone for Google's Android operating software, but the decision has been stayed on appeal. Koh has also blocked the US sale of Samsung's iPad rival, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, on grounds that it too closely resembles Apple's iPad. Germany also has blocked the sale of the same Samsung tablet.
The trial could endanger the success of Samsung's new Galaxy SIII, which is currently the world's top-selling smartphone.
Samsung currently leads Apple in total world smartphone sales. According to figures released Friday by research firm IDC, Samsung shipped about 51 million smartphones in the second quarter, for a market share of 32.6 per cent. Apple shipped 26 million devices, giving it a global market share of 16.9 per cent.
Apple and Samsung square off as patent trial begins
Lawyers for Apple and Samsung squared off in court Monday at the start of a trial that could shape the future of mobile technology.
