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The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear Samsung's appeal of a Federal Circuit Court ruling in the company's patent infringement dispute with Apple.

At issue in the case: What portion of the profits is a design-patent infringer liable to pay?

Apple accuses the South Korean tech giant of copying patented aspects of the iPhone's design, such as the round-cornered front face and the colorful icon grid.


In December, "Samsung agreed to pay Apple $548m in damages relating to the same three patents at issue in the case that is now being escalated to the Supreme Court," 

. That's an amount that Samsung argues is excessive. The 

 adds that Samsung has "reserved the right to reclaim the funds if the verdict is subsequently overturned."
In documents 

, Samsung argues that "it is high time, after a 120 year hiatus, that this Court again examine the scope and valuation of design patents."
The court has agreed 

: Should a design-patent infringer be liable for 

 profits from a product that includes a patented component, or just the fraction attributable to the patented part?


In this case, both a U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have ruled that the infringer is liable for all profits.


A smartphone contains thousands of parts, many of which are functional rather than ornamental, Samsung argues. "The law of the smartphone cannot follow reflexively from the law of the spoon," 

on the context of the patent laws in question:


, Apple counters by arguing that the law "could not be clearer": It explicitly holds an infringer liable for the "total profit," and not just a portion of it.
Google and Facebook sided with Samsung in this case, The Associated Press reports. "The companies filed a friend-of-the-court brief, saying the Federal Circuit decision will lead to more design patent lawsuits which will stifle innovation."  

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Samsung says it paid too much in damages after Apple accused it of copying aspects of the iPhone's design, arguing, "The law of the smartphone cannot follow reflexively from the law of the spoon."

Supreme Court to hear Samsung's appeal in patent dispute with Apple

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