By Howard Mintz, San Jose Mercury News –
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Apple Inc. will be seeking $2.5 billion in damages when it goes to trial next week in San Jose federal court in its sweeping case against Samsung Electronics Co. involving allegations the Korean tech giant has copied the iPhone and iPad in its own smartphones and tablets.
In court papers filed Monday night, Apple alleges that Samsung made a “deliberate decision” to copy the Silicon Valley company’s technology, infringing its patents and costing Apple a staggering sum in lost profits and potential licensing fees. Samsung, in court papers filed Tuesday morning, denies Apple’s claims, and plans to allege that Apple has violated Samsung’s patent rights in some of its products.
Apple’s latest court filing is the first time it has publicly disclosed the amount of damages it will seek from a jury.
Jury selection in the case is expected to begin Monday before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who will preside over the three-week trial. Koh has already blocked the continued sale of several older Samsung smartphone and tablet products, indicating she believes Apple is likely to prevail in its patent arguments.
But Samsung continues to sell its most recent smartphone, the Galaxy S III, as it ramps up its worldwide competition with Apple for the smartphone and tablet market. The two companies are squaring off in courts in other countries, including Australia, where Apple’s patent lawsuit against Samsung started trial this week.
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