Apple and Samsung's patent case goes to court today
The two will duke it out in what's expected to be a four-week trial
Today a jury will hear the opening statements for the Apple/Samsung patent case in a California court.
The case has been going on for over a year now, and is one of the biggest intellectual property infringement cases ever.
The outcome could be costly for both companies, and could even see some devices banned from sale. So to say there's a lot riding on it would be an understatement.
Back when it all began
It all started with a lawsuit from Apple in April last year. It accused Samsung of "slavishly copying" its iPhone and iPad, and now has to convince a jury that that was the case. It's so far succeeded in having the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Nexus banned from sale in the US, though we'll have to wait and see if they're upheld.
Samsung countersued in retaliation, and now the two actions have been combined.
Business partners
The Korean company is arguing Apple's devices would have been impossible to make without its technology (Samsung actually provides parts for the iPhone, which doesn't seem to have stopped the two companies going for each other's jugulars).
The trial is expected to last four weeks, so we're in for the long haul on this one. It's already unearthed some interesting prototype designs from Apple, in which Sony seems to have played a big inspiration for an unseen handset.
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An early design of the iPad was also revealed, in which it had a kickstand for propping it up.
We'll have to wait and see if the two companies are still in business together in four weeks. Let battle commence.
Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.