The most important patent trial of the year started this week. Apple and Samsung are going to duke it out in front of a jury trying to convince that one stole from the other. It’s going to get nasty, but it’s going to be one of the most interesting cases in recent years.

Lawyers for both companies began making arguments in front of the carefully selected jury on Tuesday. That jury will decide the fate of Apple or Samsung in the coming weeks. According to AFP, the jury is made up of a wide variety of folks including an unemployed man, a homemaker and a mechanical engineer.

What’s interesting is the choice in jury. Many prospective jurors were disqualified because they have extensive technical backgrounds. While that may seem like a bad thing, it’s plays in the favor of both companies. The lawyers will actually have to explain how their competitors’ products violate their client’s patents. It’s going to be fascinating to see the case explained in layman’s terms.

As we reported Monday, the case doesn’t only involve Apple and Samsung. Google has a lot at stake in this trial. If Apple wins, Samsung and Google will both be put further on the defensive. Apple has always claimed that the Android operating system copies iOS, and a win against Samsung would further validate those claims.

It’s too early to say who will win, but both sides have formidable proponents on their side. The judge in the case, US District Judge Lucy Koh, granted Apple an injunction against Samsung already. Samsung has the better legal defense, however, as they hired Quinn Emmanuel, a noted patent lawyer who has won several cases for Google in the past.

Regardless, this is going to be a doozy of a patent case. It could very well last for a long time. We’ll keep following it and let you know of any developments. However this plays out, it’s going to affect the mobile market in significant ways.