Apple-Samsung jury foreman says evidence ‘spoke overwhelmingly’
Velvin Hogan, the jury foreman in the Apple-Samsung patent infringement case, has been making the media rounds following the jury’s stunning verdict last week.
In an interview Monday on Bloomberg TV, the 67-year-old electrical engineer explained the nine-member jury’s process during its three days of deliberation. Hogan said the jury was “inundated with evidence†and revealed that the youngest member of the jury, a 20-year-old, was the one who provided most of the debate during deliberations.
The jury -- consisting of seven men and two women -- ultimately decided to award Apple $1.05 billion in damages.
“In this country, intellectual property deserves to be protected,†he said. “If any company decides to ignore the stipulations and the rules and get too close that they cross the line and infringe and do it willfully -- they need to understand if they take the risk and get caught, they should have to pay for it.â€
When asked by interviewer Emily Chang if South Korea-based Samsung had a disadvantage because Apple is based in Cupertino, Calif. -- about 15 minutes away from the San Jose federal courtroom where the trial took place -- Hogan said: “None at all.â€
“Clearly, the evidence, to us, spoke overwhelmingly,†he said. “There was no question about it.â€
U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh could choose to triple the damage award if she finds that Samsung infringed willfully. Koh was a colorful presence in the courtroom during the trial, once asking an Apple lawyer if he was on crack.
“She’s an interesting personality,†Hogan told Bloomberg.
Koh has scheduled an injunction hearing for Sept. 20 to determine whether any Samsung products should be banned from store shelves in the U.S. Earlier today, Apple said it wanted the court to ban eight Samsung smartphones, including the Galaxy S II.
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