Apple and Samsung, the two gadget makers who represented more than a

third of the smartphone market as of the second quarter of FY 2016, have

been locked in patent battles since the spring of 2011. The Supreme Court will
decide, starting Tuesday whether Samsung Electronics copied a patent
design component of the iPhoneand, by extension, whether Samsung will
pay Apple all $400 million for doing so. As the case nears completion, here's
what you need to know:

What did Samsung do? In April 2011, Apple first filed a patent
infringement complaint against Samsung in a California district court, alleging
the South Korean companys Galaxy phones copied the iPhones rectangular
shape, the rounded corners, the silver edges, the black face and the display of
16 colorful icons, as well as the design of its basic icons, its touch interface
and even the products packaging. The complaint included similar claims that
Samsungs Galaxy Tab design and packaging followed the iPads footsteps a
bit too closely.
Samsung quickly fired back with a countersuit that Apple had imitated two of
its software patents, igniting a war of two of techs biggest giants. Nearly five
years laterafter a trial, an appeal, a retrial, a $548.2 million fine paid by
Samsung and a second Apple lawsuit, dubbed a Pyrrhic victory by The
Guardianthe Supreme Court will decide whether Samsung can be further
fined for using components similar to Apples in its Galaxy phones.
Whats significant about the case, aside from the parties involved? Aside
from the fact that the Supreme Court hasnt heard an argument on a design
patent case in more than 120 years, this case is important because of its longterm impact, Reuters reported.
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Anyone whos seen the two gadgets knows Samsung didnt make an exact
clone of the iPhone when it produced its line of Galaxy phones. The question
is whether it copied certain parts of the iPhone, such as the icon grid and the
bezel, or frame, which holds the glass in place.

As Samsung put it, Under this rule, an infringer of a patented cup holder
design must pay its entire profits on a car, an infringer of a patented marinewindshield design must pay its entire profits on a computer, and so on.
If the Supreme Court decides in Apples favor, it could severely limit the tech
industrys ability to share innovations of portions of its productsand would
likely give Apple further domination of the market.
When will the saga be over? While the Supreme Court will begin hearing
arguments Tuesday, a definitive ruling wont come until June, more than six
years after the start of the conflict.
According to Apple, Samsung has stolen a number of key iOS features and
design elements, and used them when making its Galaxy smartphones and
tablets. Back in 2012 a jury agreed to some extent, and Apple was ultimately
awarded nearly $1 billion in damages as a result. Now, Apple and Samsung find
themselves in Judge Lucy Kohs California court once again to argue over
whether or not Samsung stole a different set of patents owned by Apple.
Wondering exactly what Apple is claiming Samsung swiped in its Galaxy
smartphones this time around? Heres everything you need to know:
9to5Mac on Tuesday put together a nice quick list of the five patents Apple is
suing Samsung over right now. Theres plenty at stake in this new trial; Apple is
seeking about $2 billion in damages in this trial, which means were talking about
an average of $400 million per patent.
What does $2 billion worth of patents look like? Here are the five patents Apple is
suing over:
Patent 5,946,647: System and method for performing an
action on a structure in computer-generated data
This patent covers iOSs ability to recognize certain text strings and automatically
add links. For example, if you get a text message that says Meet me for a drink
tonight, the word tonight will automatically have a link applied. Tapping the link
will prompt you to add a new entry to your calendar.

Patent 6,847,959: Universal interface for retrieval of

information in a computer system, a patent that Apple claims
is central to universal search
Apples universal search patent covers technology that allows the device to
simultaneously search local content as well as content on the Internet.
Patent 7,761,414: Synchronous data synchronization among
devices
This patent covers the way that Apples iPhone and iPad synchronizes data in the
background while users continue to add new data.
Patent 8,046,721: Unlocking a device by performing gestures
on an unlock image
Every iOS device user on the planet is very familiar with this technology, which
has been the first thing users see when they pick up an iOS device since the first
iPhone debuted in 2007. The patent describes a system whereby a device will be
unlocked by performing a gesture over a lock screen image.
Patent 8,074,172: Method, system and graphical user
interface for providing word recommendations
Apples auto-correct technology might be pretty awful, but its still patented. This
filing describes the specific technology Apple uses in its iOS auto-correct system.