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Steve Jobs Android comments barred from Apple-Samsung trial

The late co-founder's anti-Android sentiments have been deemed irrelevant by a U.S. District court judge.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday approved a request to prevent statements regarding Google's Android OS made by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the upcoming patent trial of Apple Inc. against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

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Reuters reports that Apple wished to keep anti-Android statements made by the late co-founder out of the courtroom; arguing that the sentiments were not relevant to the patent case at hand.

The statements Apple requested exclusion for were attributed to Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and can be found in his biography. The comments were made during interviews, where Jobs told his biographer:

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong, I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

Samsung's phones and tablet products run on Google's Android operating system.

Samsung argued that the quote "speaks to Apple's bias, improper motives and its lack of belief in its own claims in that they are a means to an end, namely the destruction of Android."

However, Apple argued that the quotes are simply a distraction and irrelevant to the case.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh was inclined to agree, ruling that the sentiments made by Jobs are barred at a hearing in San Jose, California on Wednesday.

"I really don't think this is a trial about Steve Jobs." Koh said.

Apple and Samsung are taking their skirmish across several countries, and both electronics corporations are accusing each other of patent violations. Apple claims the South-Korean company Samsung copied its designs for the iPhone and iPad, whereas Samsung denies these claims and counter-sued in return.

The trial is due to begin on July 30.

Image credit: CNET

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