As the battle over smartphone supremacy and patent laws continues to heat up in San Jose between Samsung and Apple over the development of each others' devices, Apple has claimed $2.2 billion in damages and has accused Samsung of copying much of the iPhone technology for the smartphone platform. In response, Samsung has apparently thrown Google under the bus, arguing that the Mountain View-based Internet giant was responsible for the Android platform development.
In response, Google executives told the court that when they were developing the Android technology, they ensured that it would be far different from the Apple devices and operating systems, a claim Apple counters by pointing to a number of similarities in both operating systems.
The revival of the media's interest in the case erupted on April 11 after Apple, for the first time, aimed to detail their claims against Samsung in what is being regarded as a "massive infringement" case over five Apple patents.
Of the $2.2 billion being asked of the California jury, $507 million is part of Apple's claims of a loss of profit as a result of Samsung's infringements.
Computerworld.com reports that a "further $560 million" is being demanded as compensation for "the reduced demand for Apple's products" as well as the remaining half of the money to be paid as part of a royalty deal for using what Apple says are licensed patents.
Samsung and Google have denied any wrongdoing and are fighting the battle inside the San Jose courtroom.
At the heart of the case, and the ongoing debate over smartphone technology, is the operating system being used on the iPhone and Android platforms, respectively.
Samsung says that Google was largely responsible for the development of the technology, and defended the company in their arguments against being forced to pay royalties and damages to Apple.
While Apple has accused Samsung of taking their software for Android use, Samsung argues that the development of the Android software by Google was designed before Apple's software was in place, a contentious issue that will likely come to a head through this case.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google Vice President of Android, attempted to show the jury that their software and operating system was markedly different than their Apple counterparts, saying that any claims to patents and other infringements were misleading.
Some here in Silicon Valley see the case as more of a political battle that aims to push one company into the forefront as the sole leader of the smartphone industry, but all companies involved are hopeful that a solution can be had in order to avoid further financial quandaries in the near future over software and operating system issues.
