Samsung Tried To Get Patent Case Thrown Out Because Apple's Lawyer Was 'Appealing To Race'
As Samsung and Apple closed their arguments yesterday, Samsung's lawyers called for a mistrial based on the remarks by one of Apple's lawyers, Bloomberg reports.
In his closing arguments, the Apple lawyer told a personal story about how he watched TV on American-made devices when he was a kid, and how because American manufacturers didn't protect their patents, the products died.
"We all know what happened," the Apple lawyer said.
Samsung's lawyer pounced on the comment and demanded that judge Lucy Koh, who is overseeing the trial, throw the case out based on those remarks that were "appealing to race."
The Apple lawyer disagreed and argued that Samsung has tried to use the race issue to get the case thrown out in previous legal spats between the two companies.
Koh declined to throw out the case but did remind the jury that they "must not be influenced by any personal likes or dislikes, opinions, prejudices, or sympathy."
The jury is now deliberating and will decide how much Samsung owes Apple.