Mark McKenna: You always have to take closing arguments with a grain of salt -- it's performance theater, and the lawyers know that making their client look good, and the other party look bad, is the name of the game. My own view is that it's pretty unlikely that a verdict against Apple negatively impacts innovation. What they're claiming isn't especially innovative, and most of Apple's value is its brand, which isn't affected by this. How much it affects competition if Apple wins is a function of how easily other companies can design around Apple's design without losing function or appeal to consumers. Given how basic the design is to which patent claims rights, I'm inclined to think a judgment in its favor is a much bigger deal and would have a bigger effect on competition.

The IDG News Service