14 DAY TRIAL // The feud between Apple and Samsung is heading back to court and Google is getting caught in the crossfire.
The trial that debuts today at the US District Court in San Jose, California has Apple accusing Samsung of violating five of its software patents. Since Samsung devices feature Google’s Android operating system, this brings Google straight in the middle of the battle.
In its defense, Samsung claims that it licensed four of those features that Apple is accusing it of stealing as part of Google’s Android OS. Furthermore, the Korean company says that Google had been working on the technology way before Apple even filed its patents.
The patents that the two giants are fighting over apply to newer device models, such as the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3, which were released in 2012.
Once more, Apple hopes to get a lot of money from Samsung, namely $2 billion, or $40 per phone for the five patents. This is twice the sum that the Korean company lost to Samsung in an earlier case.
The case, however, has a much bigger stake that could affect a lot more than Apple and Samsung. If Apple wins the case, Google may be forced to modify Android. Also, it’s also possible (although unlikely) for the loser company’s infringing products to be banned from stores.
Previous battles between Apple and Samsung were easier for the Cupertino company since they revolved around the physical appearance of the devices. Now, Apple has to prove that software patents have been violated.
One of the technologies in question regards detecting data in messages and converting it into a link. Another involves synchronizing data on the phone in the background, while a third one involves Siri’s universal search. The fourth patent is for the auto-complete feature that suggests words as users are typing.
The only feature that Samsung doesn’t claim to be native to Android is the “Slide to unlock” one.
This isn’t the first time that Apple starts a battle against a phone maker over features that pertain to Android. What it hasn’t done so far is go up against Google directly, although such a battle seems to be on the way.
Google isn’t really involved in the hardware business, but it does license its Android operating system for free.
The trial between Apple and Samsung kicks off today, but it could be a long time before we see an outcome.