According to a Bloomberg report, the latest development in the $2 billion Apple Inc patent infringement trial revealed how much Google Inc's stake is. Yesterday, a videotaped testimony of a Google patent lawyer was played for jurors following Apple's lawyers' reading of a statement from Samsung saying that it was not seeking indemnification from any third party.
As the Android operating system is being used to run the South Korea-made smartphones, Google reportedly has a strong financial interest in aiding Samsung to defeat Apple in the trial. Bloomberg said that most of Apple's claims in its second US trial with the Galaxy maker actually relates to Android functions. If Apple should garner a favorable ruling in the trial, the iPhone maker could seek a court order that would ban the sales of Android-operated Samsung phones in the US.
Both Samsung and Apple appeared to have not backed down from their latest legal fight. Based on data compiled by the news agency, the two have spent hundred of millions of dollars in legal fees across four continents to dominate a $338.2 billion market as of last year. Samsung currently has a 31% industry revenue share, while Apple has a little over half, thanks to the availability of lower-cost alternative smartphones.
Google attorney James Maccoun, who also provided dates and details behind a Mobile Application Distribution Agreement between Google and Samsung, had allowed Apple to demonstrate how the South Korean smartphone maker was not forthcoming about the search engine company's role behind the scenes. The jury was also provided information via Maccoun's videotaped testimony that Samsung indeed had some sort of indemnification with Google. Maccoun also acknowledged that Samsung is indemnified to at least two of the five patents that are currently at issue in the trial, and that Google has the capability of controlling and defending the company to such claims. However, Maccoun fell short of disclosing how much Google will pay or if it had made any payments for any litigation to date.
When asked for comment about the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement, Google spokesman Matt Kallman and Samsung spokesman Adam Yates refused to comment. Apple spokesman Colin JOhnson declined to comment on Maccoun's testimony.
