Apple-Samsung jury seated and ready to go

SAN JOSE — A jury of seven men and three women was seated Monday in the Apple-Samsung smartphone patent trial, clearing the way for arguments to begin Tuesday in the $2.5 billion landmark federal case.

Citizens called for jury duty packed Judge Lucy Koh’s courtroom Monday morning, leaving no room for members of the public. Representatives for the media — as well as Apple and Samsung — who could not find assigned seating were directed to an adjacent overflow courtroom.

Judge Koh, the recently appointed federal district judge presiding over the case, called members of the jury pool to sit in and around the jury box.

The judge asked each potential juror questions about their prior knowledge of the case, and asked them to disclose any information that would prevent them from fairly deciding the issues presented to them over the next few weeks.

Among other issues, Judge Koh asked the citizen jurors about the kinds of phones they owned and the amount of web services or social media sites each of them used.

Apple Counsel Bill Lee questioned an Israeli engineer from Applied Materials, noting that he was credited on 130 patents. When the engineer corrected him and said he was on 125 patents, Lee joked, “I just gave you five more.” The man was ultimately dismissed.

Samsung counsel Bill Price asked a young unemployed man with a video game hobby, “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” The juror replied that he wanted to work in the game industry. He ended as one of ten people selected on the final jury.

After Koh read the jury preliminary instructions and informed them about proper jury conduct, she dismissed the panel for the day.

The Mercury News reported the jury includes a social worker, a supervisor with AT&T, a mechanical engineer, a Gilroy city worker, and the unemployed gamer.

The four-week trial is expected to resume Tuesday morning with the jury watching a brief video explaining the patent system with Judge Koh commenting afterward.

Following the brief orientation, Apple and Samsung will give their opening arguments.

Apple is claiming that Samsung tablet products have infringed four Apple design patents and have diluted the trade dress of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products. Samsung is arguing Apple’s products are infringing on Samsung patents.