Jury's Turn in Apple-Samsung Trial

A federal court jury this week is set to begin tackling a question that has consumed the mobile-device market: Did Samsung rip off features of Apple's iPhone and iPad?

But there are actually many questions. After closing arguments Aug 21, three weeks of hard-fought testimony will all boil down to a work sheet—a verdict form the jury will be handed, with around a dozen pages and many more boxes requiring "yes" or "no" answers. Besides Apple's patent-infringement claims against Samsung, the jury must rule on Samsung's counterclaims and calculate who owes what for any damages or royalties. During their deliberations, they will consider testimony and libraries of evidence. They also will have the devices in dispute at their fingertips to examine. To determine infringement, the nine jurors—who include a social worker, electrical engineer and unemployed videogame enthusiast—must be unanimous.