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:
- As Apple and Samsung vie over tablet patents, judge at center of a tech storm - Washington Post, 7/18/2012
- Apple v. Samsung: The Patent Trial of the Century - Wall Street Journal, 7/24
- Apple-Samsung Patent Battle Shifts to Trial - New York Times, 7/29
- Apple, Samsung face off in court over iPhone, iPad - Associated Press, as published on FoxNews.com, 7/30
- Apple, Samsung jury picked in high-stakes patent feud- SJ Mercury News, 7/30
- The 7 men and 3 women who will decide Apple v. Samsung - Fortune, as published on CNNMoney, 7/31
- Apple and Samsung Trade Jabs in Court - Wall Street Journal, 7/31
- Apple claims Samsung copied iPhone technology - Associated Press, as published on SFGate (SF Chronicle), 8/1
- Apple Loses Bid to Keep Customer Survey Secret - AllThingsD, 8/3
- In the patents war, nothing is patently obvious - Irish Times, 8/3
- Apple cranks up heat on Samsung, lawyer - SJ Mercury News, 8/3
- Cassidy: Apple vs. Samsung brings Silicon Valley stars out - SiliconValley.com (SJ Mercury News), 8/3
- Samsung reprimanded by Judge in US Apple patent fight - AFP news agency, as published in The Telegraph (Australia), 8/4
- Disruptions: At Its Trial, Apple Spills Some Secrets - New York Times, 8/5
- Difference Engine: Copying the copier - The Economist, 8/6
- Courtrooms Are Bad for Secrets. Ask Apple - CNBC, 8/7
- Above the Law Goes to Trial -- Dispatch from Apple v. Samsung - Above the Law, 8/8
- Apple-Samsung patent trial: 'I mistook one for the other,' designer says - SJ Mercury News, 8/8
- Jurors in Apple vs. Samsung Get a Raise, but Still Woefully Underpaid - AllThingsD, 8/9
- Courtroom tension boils in Apple-Samsung showdown - CNBC, 8/10
- Apple, Samsung lawyers battle over expert testimony - SJ Mercury News, 8/10
- Apple Rests Its Case Against Samsung - Dow Jones Newswires, as published in Fox Business, 8/13
- Fireworks in Apple-Samsung Trial Over Whether Expert Had Improper Access to Intel Source Code - AllThingsD, 8/14
- Apple v. Samsung timeline: The guide to what's happening - ZDNet, 8/14
- So I went to Best Buy to confuse an iPad with a Samsung - CNET News.com, 8/15
- Apple vs. Samsung judge: 'It's time for peace' - SJ Mercury News, 8/15
- Apple lawyer faces 'smoking crack' jibe by patent judge - BBC, 8/16
- Apple vs. Samsung: Judge gets testy as patent trial winds down - SJ Mercury News, 8/17
- Apple vs. Samsung patent trial: The evidence is all in - SJ Mercury News, 8/18
- In Apple's Patent Case, Tech Shifts May Follow - New York Times, 8/19
- The ABCs of Apple v. Samsung - CNET News.com, 8/20
- The Definitive Insider's Guide to Apple vs. Samsung - AllThingsD, 8/20
- Apple v. Samsung jury given choice between hero and villain - SJ Mercury News, 8/20
- Ringside as Apple and Samsung Go Into the Final Round - AllThingsD, 8/21
- Nine Random People Might Decide The Future Of Mobile Device Design - TechCrunch, 8/21
- Apple-Samsung courtroom confrontation ends with mud and fireworks - SJ Mercury News, 8/21
- Apple-Samsung trial: How high school will influence the jury - CNET News.com, 8/22
- Clock ticks down on a verdict in Apple v. Samsung - CNET News.com, 8/23
- Apple v. Samsung: When will the jury deliver a verdict? - Fortune, as published on CNNMoney, 8/23
- Apple v. Samsung: The Jury's Hardship - Wall Street Journal, 8/23
- Apple v. Samsung verdict is in: $1 billion loss for Samsung - Ars Technica, 8/24
- How qualified is the Apple-Samsung jury? We found out - CNET News.com, 8/24
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