The United States&nbsp;Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with Samsung&nbsp;in its big-money smartphone patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs.

The 8-0 ruling, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 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 justices sent the case back to the US&nbsp;Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to determine how much Samsung must pay. But they did not provide a road map to juries and lower courts on how to navigate similar disputes in the future.

Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said in a statement that the US company remained &quot;optimistic that the lower courts will again send a powerful signal that stealing isn&#39;t right.&quot;

Samsung told Reuters in a statement the ruling was a &quot;victory for Samsung and for all those who promote creativity, innovation and fair competition in the marketplace.&quot;

Following a 2012 jury verdict favouring Apple, Samsung initially was hit with nearly $930 million in penalties, later cut by $382 million, for infringing Apple&#39;s iPhone patents and mimicking its distinctive appearance in making the Galaxy and other competing devices.

Samsung in December 2015 paid its Cupertino, California-based rival $548 million. But Samsung took the matter to the Supreme Court, saying it should not have had to make $399 million of that payout for copying the patented designs of the iPhone&#39;s rounded-corner front face, bezel and colourful grid of icons that represent programs and applications.

With the products that used iPhone designs, Samsung went on to become the world&#39;s top smartphone maker.

Tuesday&#39;s ruling followed a ferocious legal battle between the world&#39;s top two smartphone manufacturers that began in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for patent and trademark infringement. It was one of the most closely watched patent cases to come before the top US&nbsp;court in recent years.

The legal dispute centred on whether the term &quot;article of manufacture,&quot; on which design patent damages are calculated in U.S. patent law, should be interpreted as a finished product in its entirety, or merely a component in a complex product.

In court papers, Samsung, Apple and the US&nbsp;government all agreed that the term could mean a component.

But Apple urged the Supreme Court to affirm the appeals court&#39;s ruling because Samsung presented no evidence that the article of manufacture in this case was anything less than its entire smartphone as sold. Samsung, meanwhile, said that it did not have to present such evidence.

Sotomayor, writing for the unanimous court, said that the law is clear. The term &quot;article of manufacture is broad enough to encompass both a product sold to a consumer as well as a component of that product,&quot; she wrote.

Period of uncertainity

The justices nevertheless refused to devise a test for juries and lower courts to use to discern what a relevant article of manufacture is in a particular case, a task that could be fraught with difficulty when considering high-tech products.

&quot;No doubt whether with Apple-Samsung, or some other design patent case, we are going to have a period of uncertainty where courts will be trying to formulate a test and what the boundaries are,&quot; Richard McKenna, an expert in design rights at the law firm Foley &amp; Lardner in Milwaukee, said in an interview.

In court papers, Apple said its iPhone&#39;s success was tied to innovative designs, which other manufacturers quickly adopted in their own products. Samsung, in particular, made a deliberate decision to copy the iPhone&#39;s look and many user interface features, Apple said.

Samsung argued that it should not have had to turn over all its profits, saying that design elements contributed only marginally to a complex product with thousands of patented features.

Design patent fights very rarely reach the Supreme Court. It had not heard such a case in more than 120 years.

The case is Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd v. Apple Inc, in the Supreme Court of the United States, No. 15-777.

(Reuters)

The ruling held that violator doesn't have to give away all its profits made from stolen designs, if the designs covered only certain parts

The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with Samsung in its big-money smartphone patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs. The 8-0 ruling, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 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 justices sent the case back to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to determine how much Samsung must pay. But they did not provide a road map to juries and lower courts on how to navigate similar disputes in the future. Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said in a statement that the US company remained "optimistic that the lower courts will again send a powerful signal that stealing isn't right." Samsung told Reuters in a statement the ruling was a "victory for Samsung and for all those who promote creativity, innovation and fair competition in the marketplace." Following a 2012 jury verdict favouring Apple, Samsung initially was hit with nearly $930 million in penalties, later cut by $382 million, for infringing Apple's iPhone patents and mimicking its distinctive appearance in making the Galaxy and other competing devices. Samsung in December 2015 paid its Cupertino, California-based rival $548 million. But Samsung took the matter to the Supreme Court, saying it should not have had to make $399 million of that payout for copying the patented designs of the iPhone's rounded-corner front face, bezel and colourful grid of icons that represent programs and applications. With the products that used iPhone designs, Samsung went on to become the world's top smartphone maker. Tuesday's ruling followed a ferocious legal battle between the world's top two smartphone manufacturers that began in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung for patent and trademark infringement. It was one of the most closely watched patent cases to come before the top US court in recent years. The legal dispute centred on whether the term "article of manufacture," on which design patent damages are calculated in U.S. patent law, should be interpreted as a finished product in its entirety, or merely a component in a complex product. In court papers, Samsung, Apple and the US government all agreed that the term could mean a component. But Apple urged the Supreme Court to affirm the appeals court's ruling because Samsung presented no evidence that the article of manufacture in this case was anything less than its entire smartphone as sold. Samsung, meanwhile, said that it did not have to present such evidence. Sotomayor, writing for the unanimous court, said that the law is clear. The term "article of manufacture is broad enough to encompass both a product sold to a consumer as well as a component of that product," she wrote. Period of uncertainity The justices nevertheless refused to devise a test for juries and lower courts to use to discern what a relevant article of manufacture is in a particular case, a task that could be fraught with difficulty when considering high-tech products. "No doubt whether with Apple-Samsung, or some other design patent case, we are going to have a period of uncertainty where courts will be trying to formulate a test and what the boundaries are," Richard McKenna, an expert in design rights at the law firm Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, said in an interview. In court papers, Apple said its iPhone's success was tied to innovative designs, which other manufacturers quickly adopted in their own products. Samsung, in particular, made a deliberate decision to copy the iPhone's look and many user interface features, Apple said. Samsung argued that it should not have had to turn over all its profits, saying that design elements contributed only marginally to a complex product with thousands of patented features. Design patent fights very rarely reach the Supreme Court. It had not heard such a case in more than 120 years. The case is Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd v. Apple Inc, in the Supreme Court of the United States, No. 15-777. (Reuters)

US Supreme Court rules in favour of Samsung in Apple design patent case

After weeks of speculations, Apple has finally unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones. The former features a 4.7-inch screen, while the latter comes with a 5.5-inch display. 
 
While the next-generation iPhones come with a host of enhancements, the most significant of them is the removal of the headphone jack. In other words, the new iPhones don&rsquo;t include the traditional 3.5 mm port to connect headphones. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, instead, will allow users to connect headphones using Apple&#39;s proprietary Lightning connector. 
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&quot;We are taking the headphones in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to Lightning, and including them in the box with the device. We have also made a (3.5 mm headphone jack) adapter, which will be included in the box as well,&quot; said Apple vice president Phil Schiller at the iPhone 7 launch event.&nbsp;The adapter will let people use old headphones and accessories with the new iPhones. 
 
With the&nbsp;view to offer users a hassle-free audio experience, Apple has also introduced new wireless headphones - AirPods - which will be available in late October at $159. 
 
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Another key improvement in the new iPhones is on the camera front. The iPhone 7 sports a 12 megapixel rear camera with six-element lens, optical image stabilisation and a larger f/1.8 aperture. The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, has a dual-camera setup at the back. The Plus variant features the same 12 megapixel wide-angle camera as the iPhone 7 along with a 12 megapixel telephoto lens that offers a 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. The new iPhones come with a 7 megapixel front HD camera - up from 5 megapixel on the iPhone 6s. 
 
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The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-camera setup at the back. (Image: Apple)
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The next-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with iOS 10, which is claimed to be the biggest release ever of Apple&rsquo;s mobile operating system. Apple will start rolling out the iOS 10 software update from September 13. 
 
Other key features in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus include stereo speakers, 25 per cent brighter Retina HD display, and&nbsp;the A10 Fusion chipset which is claimed to be 40 per cent faster than the A9 chipset that powers its predecessors.&nbsp;The new iPhones are water and dust-resistant. 
 
Pricing and availability 
 
Prices for the iPhone 7 start at $649, while the iPhone 7 Plus is priced at $769 onwards. 
 
Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be up for pre-order starting&nbsp;September 9, and will go on sale from&nbsp;September 16. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in more than 25 countries, including China and the US, beginning&nbsp;September 16.&nbsp; 
 
One week later, the new iPhones will be available in 30 more countries including Russia and Greece. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in India from October 7. The phones will be priced in India at Rs 60,000 onwards. 
 
The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish in 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB models. The new jet black finish, however, will be offered only on the 128 GB and 256 GB models. 
 
(WION)
&nbsp;

Apple's latest iterations of the iPhone do not include the traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack

After weeks of speculations, Apple has finally unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones. The former features a 4.7-inch screen, while the latter comes with a 5.5-inch display. While the next-generation iPhones come with a host of enhancements, the most significant of them is the removal of the headphone jack. In other words, the new iPhones don’t include the traditional 3.5 mm port to connect headphones. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, instead, will allow users to connect headphones using Apple's proprietary Lightning connector. "We are taking the headphones in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to Lightning, and including them in the box with the device. We have also made a (3.5 mm headphone jack) adapter, which will be included in the box as well," said Apple vice president Phil Schiller at the iPhone 7 launch event. The adapter will let people use old headphones and accessories with the new iPhones. With the view to offer users a hassle-free audio experience, Apple has also introduced new wireless headphones - AirPods - which will be available in late October at $159. Another key improvement in the new iPhones is on the camera front. The iPhone 7 sports a 12 megapixel rear camera with six-element lens, optical image stabilisation and a larger f/1.8 aperture. The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, has a dual-camera setup at the back. The Plus variant features the same 12 megapixel wide-angle camera as the iPhone 7 along with a 12 megapixel telephoto lens that offers a 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. The new iPhones come with a 7 megapixel front HD camera - up from 5 megapixel on the iPhone 6s. The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-camera setup at the back. (Image: Apple) The next-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with iOS 10, which is claimed to be the biggest release ever of Apple’s mobile operating system. Apple will start rolling out the iOS 10 software update from September 13. Other key features in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus include stereo speakers, 25 per cent brighter Retina HD display, and the A10 Fusion chipset which is claimed to be 40 per cent faster than the A9 chipset that powers its predecessors. The new iPhones are water and dust-resistant. Pricing and availability Prices for the iPhone 7 start at $649, while the iPhone 7 Plus is priced at $769 onwards. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be up for pre-order starting September 9, and will go on sale from September 16. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in more than 25 countries, including China and the US, beginning September 16. One week later, the new iPhones will be available in 30 more countries including Russia and Greece. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in India from October 7. The phones will be priced in India at Rs 60,000 onwards. The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish in 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB models. The new jet black finish, however, will be offered only on the 128 GB and 256 GB models. (WION)

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus unveiled; priced at $649 onwards

Tech giant Apple is all set for a major event scheduled for Wednesday where it will unveil&nbsp;its next iteration of iPhone model, iPhone 7.&nbsp; 
 
Ahead of the San Francisco launch, Apple&#39;s biggest event of the year, the American multinational technology company sent out &#39;ghost tweets&#39; from its otherwise dead account, the Independent reported on Monday. 
 
Mysterious Tweets? 
 
Reminding people of the big event, without letting them know that it is the company that is doing it, the company is sending out secret ghost tweets, the Independent report said.&nbsp; 
 
The full tweet reads: &quot;September 7 at 10 a.m. PDT. Watch the event on Apple.co/live. RT for a reminder on event day. #AppleEvent&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
However, when a user heads to Apple&#39;s official twitter handle @Apple a message appears informing the user that the &ldquo;company hasn&#39;t tweeted yet&rdquo;. 
 
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When a user heads to Apple&#39;s official twitter handle @Apple a message appears informing the user that the &#39;company hasn&#39;t tweeted yet&#39;.
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&nbsp; 
Apple&#39;s second gen smartwatch likely to be updated&nbsp; 
 
The California-based tech giant is also likely to put out an updated, second-generation smartwatch at the event. The improved version comes amid speculations that original hardware was not updated since its release last year.&nbsp; 
 
The event would also be a chance to showcase wireless headphones, perhaps some from Beats, which Apple bought two years ago in a deal valued at $3 billion. 
 
Meanwhile, the new iPhone model, that boasts faster chips, better cameras and an improved software has taken the tech-savvy lot by storm. The phone is also expected to do away with jacks for plugging in wired headphones, hence adding another feather to the cap.&nbsp; 
 
EU&#39;s case against Apple&nbsp; 
 
The European Union Commission had asked Apple to pay 13 billion euros of corporate income taxes to Ireland. The event on Wednesday comes as Apple tries to square it off with the EU. 
 
&ldquo;It&#39;s a total political crap,&rdquo; &nbsp;chief executive officer of Apple Tim Cook told the Irish Independent newspaper.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;The commission ruled that Apple had received favorable tax terms that amounted to state aid, illegal under its rules. 
 
Apple expects to repatriate billions of dollars of global profits to the United States next year, Cook told Irish national broadcaster RTE without providing specific figures. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The tech giant is expected to unveil its next iteration of iPhone along with second-generation smartwatch in San Francisco on Wednesday

Tech giant Apple is all set for a major event scheduled for Wednesday where it will unveil its next iteration of iPhone model, iPhone 7. Ahead of the San Francisco launch, Apple's biggest event of the year, the American multinational technology company sent out 'ghost tweets' from its otherwise dead account, the Independent reported on Monday. Mysterious Tweets? Reminding people of the big event, without letting them know that it is the company that is doing it, the company is sending out secret ghost tweets, the Independent report said. The full tweet reads: "September 7 at 10 a.m. PDT. Watch the event on Apple.co/live. RT for a reminder on event day. #AppleEvent". However, when a user heads to Apple's official twitter handle @Apple a message appears informing the user that the “company hasn't tweeted yet”. When a user heads to Apple's official twitter handle @Apple a message appears informing the user that the 'company hasn't tweeted yet'. Apple's second gen smartwatch likely to be updated The California-based tech giant is also likely to put out an updated, second-generation smartwatch at the event. The improved version comes amid speculations that original hardware was not updated since its release last year. The event would also be a chance to showcase wireless headphones, perhaps some from Beats, which Apple bought two years ago in a deal valued at $3 billion. Meanwhile, the new iPhone model, that boasts faster chips, better cameras and an improved software has taken the tech-savvy lot by storm. The phone is also expected to do away with jacks for plugging in wired headphones, hence adding another feather to the cap. EU's case against Apple The European Union Commission had asked Apple to pay 13 billion euros of corporate income taxes to Ireland. The event on Wednesday comes as Apple tries to square it off with the EU. “It's a total political crap,” chief executive officer of Apple Tim Cook told the Irish Independent newspaper. The commission ruled that Apple had received favorable tax terms that amounted to state aid, illegal under its rules. Apple expects to repatriate billions of dollars of global profits to the United States next year, Cook told Irish national broadcaster RTE without providing specific figures. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Apple readies for iPhone 7 launch event

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US Supreme Court rules in favour of Samsung in Apple design patent case

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus unveiled; priced at $649 onwards

Apple readies for iPhone 7 launch event