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Samsung goes to US Supreme Court to wriggle out of paying Apple millions of dollars

South Koreans really do not want to pay out those damages

Samsung is taking its patent battle with Apple to the US Supreme Court.

The Korean electronics kingpin has asked the US top court to hear its appeal of a jury decision that found its handsets in violation of multiple patents held by Apple, according to The San Jose Mercury News.

Samsung did not return a request for comment.

Samsung was turned down last week by the US Court of Appeals after it requested that its appeal be re-heard in front of a panel of judges.

The saga goes back to 2012, when a jury in California's Northern District Court found Samsung handsets had violated Apple design patents.

The damage award was originally $1bn in Apple's favor, but was since reduced by the court. Samsung, meanwhile, has challenged the validity of the ruling itself, appealing to higher courts in hopes of having the verdict in Apple's favor overturned.

In the meantime, Apple could see its payout reduced even further, as the US Patent and Trademark Office has moved to invalidate one of the Apple patents on the grounds it had already been covered by previously-issued patents.

That Samsung has asked the Supreme Court to hear the case is no guarantee that the matter will be brought before the justices. While anyone can ask the court to hear a case, the justices themselves decide what cases they will hear. Appeals are often turned down by the Supreme Court and referred to the previous decision of the lower court.

If that was decided, Samsung would be forced to pay Apple. If the court hears the case, Samsung would get one more chance to have the Apple verdict overturned. ®

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