We did not copy iPhone says Samsung opening statement

Earlier on Tuesday, we told you how Apple's lead attorney in its patent trial against Samsung, said the latter would put the blame for its actions on the Devil. Once Apple had its turn (about 90 minutes, by the way) it was time for Samsung's attorneys to plead its case. In its opening statement, Samsung attorney Charles Verhoeven told the 9 member jury (one member has been dismissed) that Apple did not tell the whole story. Verhoeven said that Samsung is a company that prides itself on giving consumers what they want. If consumers want a touchscreen handset, that's what Samsung gives them. The attorney added that "Samsung is a major technology company that develops its own innovations."

During its opening statement, Samsung also described some differences in the design of its handsets from the Apple iPhone, including the home screen and the way the phones work when turned on. According to Verhoeven, Apple did not invent the rectangular design with rounded corners. "Samsung is not some copyist, some Johnny come lately doing knockoffs," said Samsung's counsel. He also went through Apple's list of patents and tossed them aside one by one, knocking them aside as if he were Superman deflecting bullets with his hand. For each patent, Verhoeven had a reason why it should be excluded. For some the reason was prior art and for others it was a previous patent that covered the same technology.

And because Sammy has some cross-claims against Apple, its attorney down played the alleged touchscreen patent infringements Apple claims Samsung is guilty of, saying that the 3G patents belonging to Samsung that the Korean manufacturer claims that Apple infringed on are much more important to the workings of a smartphone.

source: AndroidandMe