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The Supreme Court has weighed in on a patent battle between Samsung and Apple, siding with Samsung by declaring that the patent infringement for an 

of a design should be treated differently from the infringement of an entire design.

The dispute between the two tech giants isn't about whether Samsung violated Apple's patents, but rather about how much money it's reasonable for Samsung to pay

for the infringement.

Samsung previously had been ordered to pay Apple $399 million in damages. The high court's 

 sends the suit back to a lower court to reconsider what is a reasonable amount.
Here's how NPR's Nina Totenberg and An-Li Herring explained the underlying issue 

The Supreme Court unanimously concluded that the "article of manufacture" doesn't have to be the entire phone.

As we reported in May, Samsung has said the laws that govern copyright infringement like this were outdated and due for re-examination. The South Korean tech giant noted that the logic behind the $399 million decision would apply even if an 18-wheel tractor-trailer included design infringement in a single cup holder.

In the end, the highest court in the land released a very brief decision that turned largely on definitions.


The Supreme Court, citing multiple dictionaries, concluded there was no reason why an "article of manufacture" couldn't be a component, as easily as an entire product.  

Science

Crime, Law and Justice

The unanimous decision means that if Samsung swiped the design for one part of a phone from Apple, it may not need to hand over profits from the entire device. The case goes back to a lower court.

Supreme Court sides with Samsung, against Apple in patent infringement fight

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