Samsung scores unanimous verdict in Supreme Court battle with Apple

The U.S. Supreme Court backed Samsung Tuesday in a big-money patent fight with Apple. Apple is requesting that Samsung pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs. The ruling, unanimously agreed upon by all justices, held that a patent violator does not always have to fork over its entire profits from the sales of products using stolen designs, if the designs covered only certain components and not the whole thing. The case now heads back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to determine how much Samsung must pay. The dispute began in 2012 after a jury said Samsung infringed upon Apple's iPhone patents, forcing the South Korean company to pay $548 million.