The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that Samsung copied specific Apple design patents related to the iPhone. However, the court also threw out part of the ruling and asked a lower court to reduce the amount Samsung is to pay Apple.
The lower court previously ruled that Samsung was to pay $930 million in damages to Apple, but this amount is likely to be reduced to $548 million according to a separate filing by Samsung.
A three-judge panel ruled that Samsung copied specific aspects of the iPhone, including the GUI, the bezel and front of the phone along with several key software elements, such as gesturing, bounce-back scrolling and double-tap to zoom. The court then threw out the part of the case related to the overall look of the iPhone, recalling part of Apple’s own argument where it stated the shape and GUI icon placement of the phone made it easier to use.
This ruling partly closes the book on a 2011 legal battle that caused the two companies to wage a global patent war. The two companies have since dropped other battles except this one and another case involving what Apple contends are specific patented software features found in Galaxy phones.