Samsung calls US executive to testify in $2B patent trial

In what seems to be a response to Apple Inc's claim that Samsung Electronics Co does not have witnesses in its latest patent claim against the South Korean giant.

Former president Samsung Telecommunications America Dale Sohn testified yesterday to differentiate how the difference of the Galaxy maker's previous and current business model in order for Samsung to distance itself from the iPhone maker's claims that it did infringe the latter's patents, Bloomberg said. Moreover, Sohn's appearance also blocks a potential line of attack that Apple had once used in the companies previous trial in 2012 over smartphone technology claims. Bloomberg said that Apple then argued that its bitter rival displayed indifference or irreverence to the former's patent claims by not having an available senior executive to testify.

Sohn, who spoke in English and did not opt for a Koren translator, insisted that he is more comfortable and would like to ensure his limited time to testify would be put to good use when he speaks English. Sohn also told the court how the company had a dramatic turnaround in 2007 when it opted to use a different marketing strategy entirely different from the iPhone maker.

The iPhone, which first debuted also in 2007 at a $299 retail price, did not impress Sohn the very least then, according to the Samsung executive's testimony. He said, "I thought that it was a very impressive, nice product, but also that only AT&T exclusively would distribute the phones. (I saw the iPhone occupying a) niche market (because) not really many of the customer base could afford (the smartphone)."

Aside from Sohn, Samsung also called Google Inc engineers as their witnesses to debunk claims made by Apple that several of the operating system features of the Android infringed the iPhone maker's patents.

Bloomberg said that for this trial, Apple is seeking around $2.2 billion in damages for infringing five patents that ranges from user-interface designs for the iOS software, which powers its iPhone and iPad models. Samsung, in a countersuit, claimed that eight of Apple products actually infringed the former's two patents, and are seeking $7 million in damages, according to a court filing.

Tags

Samsung Electronics Co, Apple Inc, Apple patent infringement case

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