Apple gets mixed ruling in patent fight with Samsung

A federal appeals court Monday gave Apple (AAPL) a mixed ruling in the tech giant's patent-infringement case against rival Samsung Electronics in the companies' global battle for mobile phone supremacy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed part of the $930 million verdict Apple won against Samsung in 2012 over allegations that Samsung's smartphones improperly used some of the patented features found in Apple's iPhones.

The 38-page decision upheld the patent-infringement violations found by a California federal jury, denying part of Samsung's legal appeal.

However, the appeals court also vacated the jury's $382 million award for Samsung's dilution of Apple's trade dress — the term that refers to the design and shape or configuration of a product.

The appeals court ruled that "the jury's findings of non-functionality of the asserted trade dresses were not supported by substantial evidence," and sent that part of the case back to the California federal court for reconsideration and adjustment.

"This is a victory for design and those who respect it," Apple said in a statement responding to the decision. "Even though Samsung must pay for its widespread infringement of our patents, this case has always been about more than money. It's about innovation and the hard work that goes into inventing products that people love, which is hard to put a price on."

A separate statement from Samsung said the ruling showed that Apple's arguments over damages and trade dress "lack merit and are grossly exaggerated."

"We remain confident that our products do not infringe on Apple's design patents and other intellectual property, and we will continue to take all appropriate measures to protect our products," said Samsung. "For decades, we have heavily invested in pioneering the development of technological innovations in the mobile industry, which have been a cornerstone for all our products."