Supreme Court will review Apple damage claims against Samsung

If Apple wants Samsung to cough up a lot of money for allegedly violating its patents, it's going to have a real fight on its hands. The US Supreme Court has agreed to review the damage claims in Apple's design patent lawsuit against Samsung, giving the Korean firm a chance to reduce the sizeable payout it'd otherwise have to make. This doesn't guarantee that Samsung will get what it wants, and this will likely postpone (if not cancel) an imminent retrial over the damages. Also, it's notable that the review won't challenge the patents themselves.

However, the review could still represent a big milestone in patent disputes like these. It may decide whether or not plaintiffs can demand that a company give up all the profits it made from selling infringing products, or if other factors can limit those penalties. If Samsung prevails, tech firms may have less incentive to sue in the first place -- they'll know that the possible windfall could be much smaller.