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Apple vs. Samsung doesn't need Supreme Court redo, DOJ says

The Department of Justice recommends denial for Samsung's request that the Supreme Court again look into the legal squabble.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng
2 min read
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The Justice Department says the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle shouldn't go back here. 

CNET

Even the US Department of Justice is tired of the epic legal battle between Apple and Samsung. 

The agency has recommended that the Supreme Court deny Samsung's request for a new review of its case, also known as a writ of certiorari. 

It's the latest tick of a five-year legal battle waged between two of the largest technology companies in the world. There seemed to be some sense of resolution last year when Samsung won a unanimous victory in the Supreme Court over how much it should pay for copying some of Apple's key designs. But lawsuits don't die easily.  

Samsung in March asked the Supreme Court to review another aspect of the case, a 2014 verdict that awarded Apple $120 million for patent infringement. Apple filed its own response in May, arguing that the high court doesn't need to look at the matter -- an assessment with which the Justice Department agrees. 

"In the view of the United States, the petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied," said a filing from earlier this month.

Samsung declined to comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Apple and Samsung have been battling over patents since 2012, and a question about how much money could be owed for infringing design patents made its way to the Supreme Court in October 2016, with a ruling for Samsung coming in December. The Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower court to make a new determination on the damages.

Much of the attention on this legal battle has cooled as Apple has focused its sights on a new legal squabble, this one with chipmaker Qualcomm over the value of the components used in iPhones.

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