Court reopens patent case between Apple and Samsung

Samsung's long battle with Apple has entered a pivotal new phase.

A patent case between the two tech rivals was reopened late Thursday evening, Law 360 reports. The major outstanding question is how much Samsung will have to pay Apple for infringing on the iPhone's design.

This case has a long and complicated history stretching back to 2011. You could spend hours exploring this rabbit hole, but the most relevant bit to Thursday's news came last month, when the Supreme Court reversed a ruling that would have forced Samsung to pay Apple $399 million for copying aspects of the iPhone's design.

Samsung had argued that the jury focused too much on the overall design of the phones instead of a few specific elements. Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reopened the case in a one-paragraph order, and it will decide how much Samsung finally owes.

The case largely revolves around a 129-year-old law regarding design patents and how much customers associate product designs with company brands.

In a brief filed on Thursday, Samsung urged the court to "reject Apple's suggestion" that any judgement should be made without further argumentation. Translated: Even six years in, it sounds like there my be a long way to go for Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co.