The Supreme Court handed Samsung a symbolic victory on Tuesday over its arch-rival Apple in a patent dispute worth $400 million.
In a brief, unanimous opinion authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court threw out the damage award and sent the case back to an appeals court to reassess it.
That means Samsung will still be on the hook for a yet-to-be-determined amount. A jury found the company violated three design patents held by Apple that govern the iPhone’s curved exterior and icon-based interface.
Because these features make the iPhone stand out from competitors, Apple argued that it was entitled to the entire $400 million figure ― which represents Samsung’s entire profits from its smartphone models. The Supreme Court rejected that argument.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
