Apple in a Tuesday court filing says there are ground for allegations of witness tamper by Qualcomm in their ongoing patent infringement trial. Qualcomm has fired back, calling such claims “ridiculous.”
Apple counsel Juanita Brooks continued to lob allegations of witness tampering in a filing, saying the company has reason to believe someone attempted to sway the testimony of former engineer Arjuna Siva, reports CNET.
Siva, who was a member of the Apple team that worked on the first iPhone that included Qualcomm modem hardware, was scheduled to offer testimony on behalf of Apple at the trial, being held in a San Diego courtroom. Siva’s testimony was to be the center of Apple’s claims concerning a Qualcomm in-patent suit over fast boot times. Apple had argued Siva had co-invented the technology, and should be credited on the intellectual property.
Brooks said Apple had worked with Siva on his testimony for months before “things changed” last week, when Siva unexpectedly pulled out of a court appearance.
“Apple had good reason to be concerned that steps were being taken to influence Mr. Siva’s testimony,” Brooks wrote in Tuesday’s filing.
Following a subpoena from Apple, Siva acknowledged the basis of Qualcomm’s U.S. patent was his idea.
“I don’t think I’m claiming to be an inventor,” Siva, who now works at Google, told the court. He did say his participation inspired several elements of the technology that makes the boot-up process faster. “This was my idea,” he told the court. He also said he “surprised” and “upset” after Qualcomm filed for the patent.
Siva stopped short, however, of claiming he invented the technology, which was a main point in Apple’s defense against Qualcomm’s lawsuit.
Qualcomm lawyer David Nelson fired back, saying in court last week, “I don’t get angry very often. I lead this team. I consider this a personal attack.”
Presiding Judge Dana Sabraw responded by saying, “There’s no indication that you or anyone at Qualcomm has anything to do with this.” He then added there was no evidence to back up Apple’s claims of tampering.
Apple counsel Brooks says Apple will not pursue any further action on the alleged Qualcomm witness tampering, as Siva’s testimony was delivered as expected.