$120M Rematch: Apple VS Samsung, Match Set For Supreme Court Venue

Samsung and Apple are about to go head-to-head once again over some legal kerfuffle involving patent cases dating all the way back to 2011. In a historic turn of events, the rematch will be heading to the Supreme Court, which does not typically handle patent design battles.

As CNET notes, the Supreme Court has not handled a design patent case for centuries. This in and of itself is already a historic development, but the results of the legal battle could have even more dramatic effects on the smartphone industry. The case is set to be heard and argued on Tuesday, with the venue being Washington D.C.

The rivalry between Apple and Samsung is well-known, particularly to those who have been following the legal scuffles that the two have been involved in several times for years. Since the two companies are still doing quite well for themselves, even factoring in Samsung’s current problems with its Galaxy Note 7 troubles, it would seem that there is no clear winner during past encounters.

Perhaps the rematch that’s set to go to the Supreme Court will finally settle things once and for all. For the companies, the direct consequences of the loss include a potentially huge payout that could amount to hundreds of millions if the loser is lucky.

Apple had already won in reinstating the $119.6 million that Samsung will need to pay over the patent infringement issue involving the slide-to-unlock feature, Bloomberg reports. Back in February, a panel comprised of three judges threw out this particular verdict, citing no infringement on the part of Samsung. This decision was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court battle will serve to decide how much more the South Korean company will need to pay. Once done, it will also serve to end at least one part of the Apple VS Samsung saga that has been going on since 2011.