Apple Asks US Supreme Court to Rule Against Samsung Over Patents

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 1 August 2016 10:14 IST
Highlights
  • Apple sued Samsung in 2011 alleging infringement of the iPhone's patents
  • Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $930 million after a jury trial
  • Samsung has been trying to reduce that figure ever since.
Apple Inc on Friday asked the US Supreme Court to clear the way for the iPhone maker to secure hundreds of millions in damages from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in a case over smartphone design patents.

The world's top smartphone rivals have been feuding over patents since 2011, when Apple sued Samsung in a northern California court alleging infringement of the iPhone's patents, designs and trademarked appearance.

In its legal brief on Friday, Apple said Samsung had not provided evidence to support its argument that design patent damages should be decided on one component of a smartphone, rather than the entire product. Apple said there was no need for the Supreme Court to send the case back to a lower court for further proceedings.

Advertisement

A Samsung representative declined to immediately provide comment. The South Korean company has said that a ruling for Apple would diminish innovation and negatively impact the economy.

Following a 2012 jury trial, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $930 million. Samsung has been trying to reduce that figure ever since.

Advertisement

Its efforts were partially rewarded in May 2015, when the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the damages on trademark liability. The appeals court, however, upheld Samsung's infringement of the iPhone's patents, including those related to the designs of the iPhone's rounded-corner front face, bezel and colorful grid of icons.

That brought Samsung's exposure down to $548 million, of which $399 million involves design patents. Additional damages, based on five other phone models, could also be awarded depending on the outcome of appeals.

Advertisement

Samsung asked the Supreme Court to review the case, calling the damages awarded excessive. In March, the justices agreed to look into whether courts should award in damages the total profits from a product that infringes a design patent, if the patent applies only to a component of the product.

In a filing last month, the US Department of Justice said the case should be sent back to a lower court.

Advertisement

But Apple said Congress has been clear on the issue of design patent damages, and there was no reason the Supreme Court should allow Samsung to make additional arguments.

© Thomson Reuters 2016

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. iPhone 17 Pro Max At Rs. 1,02,900 in Apple 50th Anniversary Sale
  2. Vivo T5 Pro 5G Confirmed to Launch in India Soon With These Features
  3. Here's When the Oppo K15 Pro Series Could Be Launched in India
  4. You Can Now Generate Free AI Videos on Google Vids
  5. OnePlus Nord 6 First Impressions
  6. Oppo Find X9 Ultra Leaked Image Reveals Changed Design
  7. Realme Teases New Narzo Phone on Amazon, Launch Expected Soon
  8. Vivo X300 Ultra European Price Revealed in New Leak
  9. Google's New Open-Source Model Will Let Users Build AI Agents
  10. Redmi 15A 5G Now Up for Grabs in India: See Price
  1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Flip 8 to Stick With Older M13 OLED Panels: Report
  2. Crypto Hack Losses Drop to $168.6 Million in Q1 2026 Despite Ongoing Risks
  3. Google Vids Will Now Let All Users Generate Veo 3.1 AI Videos for Free, New Features Added
  4. Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Surfaces on Geekbench With Exynos 2500 Chip, Android 17
  5. Realme Teases New Narzo Phone on Amazon, Launch Expected Soon
  6. Oppo K15 Pro Series India Launch Timeline Tipped; Could Arrive With the Same Features as the Chinese Variant
  7. Vivo X300 Ultra Leak Reveals European Pricing; Said to Cost Less Than Expected
  8. Google Introduces Gemma 4 Open-Source AI Model, Enables Building Autonomous Agents
  9. Oppo Find X9s Pro, Find X9 Ultra Key Features, Colour Options Leaked Ahead of April 21 Launch
  10. IMF Says Tokenisation Could Transform Finance but Warns of New Risks
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.