Samsung-Apple phone patent dispute heads to Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court has agreed to referee a pricey patent dispute between Samsung and Apple. The justices said they will review a $399-million judgment against South Korea-based Samsung Electronics for illegally copying patented aspects of the look of Apple's iPhone. The justices will decide whether a court can order Samsung to pay Apple every penny it made from the phones at issue, even though the disputed features are a tiny part of the product. The federal appeals court in Washington that hears patent cases ruled for Apple. None of the earlier-generation Galaxy and other Samsung phones involved in the lawsuit remain on the market, Samsung said. The case involved common smartphone features for which Apple holds patents: the flat screen, the rectangular shape with rounded corners, a rim and a screen of icons. The case, Samsung v. Apple, 15-777, is to be argued in the court's new term that begins in October.


Samsung-Apple phone patent dispute heads to Supreme Court US top court agrees to hear Samsung-Apple patent fight (Reuters)