Supreme Court won’t hear Apple v. Samsung round two

People line up to enter the federal courthouse in San Jose, California in July 2012. It was the first day of trial in the patent battle between Apple and Samsung. (credit: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The colossal courtroom clash between Apple and Samsung over patents won't be making a second appearance at the Supreme Court.

The two tech titans went at it in front of juries in San Jose over the course of two blockbuster trials, held in 2012 and 2014. Both times juries returned verdicts in favor of Apple—the first ordering Samsung to pay more than $1 billion in damages, the second ordering a payment of $120 million.

News today concerns the second verdict. In 2016, the $120 million verdict was thrown out entirely by a panel of judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears all patent appeals. The judges said that patents on Apple features like smartphone autocorrect and "slide to unlock" were invalid in light of prior art.