Apple Inc. has won a final victory in one of several patent infringement lawsuits it has filed against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd., but the iPhone maker still has some tough legal battles ahead.

In 2014, a California court ordered Samsung to pay nearly $120 million in damages for violating two of Apple’s patents, including the iPhone’s well-known slide-to-unlock feature. Since then, Samsung has filed multiple appeals against the judgment and briefly succeeded in getting the decision overturned before it was later reinstated. The verdict is now permanent, as the Supreme Court ruled today that it will hear no further appeals in the case.

Samsung is obviously not happy about the court’s decision. “Our argument was supported by many who believed that the Court should hear the case to reinstate fair standards that promote innovation and prevent abuse of the patent system,” a Samsung spokesperson said in a statement. “One of Apple’s patents at issue, in this case, has been invalidated by courts around the world, and yet today’s decision allows Apple to unjustly profit from this patent, stunts innovation and places competition in the courtroom rather than the marketplace.” Apple has yet to comment on the court’s judgment.

Apple’s victory in its slide-to-unlock case was significant, but it is relatively minor compared to the company’s other pending lawsuits against Samsung, which originally sought up to $1 billion in damages for supposedly copying parts of the iPhone’s design, including its app icon interface layout, rounded corners and black rectangular face. That figure was later reduced to $548 million after an appeal, and last month the Supreme Court set aside $399 million more of the judgment after another appeal from Samsung.

The court has decided to hold a retrial for the case, a move Apple called unnecessary. However, the iPhone maker remains confident about its claims, saying that its case has “always been about Samsung’s blatant copying of our ideas, and that was never in dispute.”

Meanwhile, Samsung is optimistic about the retrial. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision today is a victory for Samsung and for all those who promote creativity, innovation and fair competition in the marketplace,” a Samsung spokesperson said at the time.

The retrial between Apple and Samsung is set to start in May 2018.

Photo: Apple