X

Memento for patent jurors: 42 articles they missed during trial

A unique request from the judge in the monthlong Apple v. Samsung court case gives jurors a post-trial peek at the news stories they missed, gathered in specially prepared notebooks.

Josh Lowensohn Former Senior Writer
Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
See full bio
Josh Lowensohn
4 min read

British author Douglas Adams joked in his seminal work "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" that "the answer to life, the universe, and everything" was 42. It turns out that's the same answer the court in the Apple v. Samsung trial arrived at when considering the satisfactory number of news stories to give the formerly sequestered jury members once the trial wrapped up.

The request for such a collection came from U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh after one juror mentioned having seen just a headline about the trial on the very first day. Koh told jurors she'd make a deal with them: Stay off the Internet and don't read about the coverage in newspapers. In return, the court librarian will keep a running tab on any and all news about the case and give you a notebook full of those stories when the trial is done.

Complete coverage: Apple v. Samsung, a battle over billions

Well, as you probably know, the trial ended last week, with the nine-person jury delivering a verdict that overwhelmingly sided with Apple and resulted in a $1.05 billion damages bill for Samsung. Some of the last details in that case, particularly about what devices might be banned as a result, are still being decided -- but the jurors were dismissed.

What the jury's been reading on CNET

U.S. District Court Librarian Lee Van Duzer told CNET in an e-mail that the project of collecting the news for the jurors and putting it together was a first for him in his three years on the job, and that he had never been asked to do anything like it.

Among the 42 stories, the overwhelming favorite when it comes to news outlets is hometown paper the San Jose Mercury News, with 10 articles. There are also 5 articles specifically about the nine-person jury, including 1 from CNET.

Oh, and in case you're wondering -- yes, the story about Judge Koh asking Apple's lawyer if he was "smoking crack" made it in there too. Like many other fireworks in the case, that incident happened when jurors were not in the courtroom.

Without further ado, here are the 42 news stories and features that jurors were given on their way out the courthouse door: