Samsung to depose Apple's iPhone designers, including Jony Ive

Ive and other designers were originally scheduled to provide their deposition by Nov. 1. But that deadline was extended last month when Samsung learned that the witnesses would be unavailable before that date.

Now, Ive and others are scheduled to provide their deposition by Dec. 1, as discovered by Edible Apple. The Apple employees' respective testimonies will be used as part of the expedited trial scheduled to begin July 30, 2012.

Others scheduled to take part in the depositions include Christopher Stringer, a designer who is among those credited with designing the first iPod, along with industrial designer Shin Nishibori. An ex-Apple employee, Doug Satzger, is also among those listed; Satzger worked at Apple for 12 years before he left in 2008.

But the biggest name on the list is Ive, Apple's widely praised design chief who shares credit with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on more than 200 patented inventions. Ive was also a close friend of Jobs, and the late CEO left the designer with no true boss, putting him in a position with more power than anyone else at Apple.

Apple first sued Samsung in April, accusing its rival of copying the look and feel of its popular iPhone and iPad products, and Samsung quickly countersued. Though their legal battle began in the U.S., where the scheduled depositions will apply, the showdown has spread throughout the globe with numerous lawsuits. Apple has found the most initial success, winning bans on the sale of Samsung devices in Australia and Germany.