Samsung to pay Apple $119.6m in latest patent battle

South Korean firm infringed on two of Apple's patents, jury finds

South Korean firm Samsung has been ordered by a US court to pay Apple $119.6m (£70m) in the latest patent dispute between the smartphone rivals.

The case involved five Apple patents that were not in the 2012 trial between the two firms, covering such iPhone features as "slide to unlock", search technology and two patents on streaming video.

The jury's verdict was that Samsung had infringed on two of Apple's patents, leaving Samsung to cough up far less than the $2.2bn (£1.2bn) Apple has been suing for. The Cupertino, California-based company wanted Samsung to pay a royalty of $40 (£24) on every device that it claimed uses "copied software" from its mobile operating system, iOS.

In the case, Samsung denied that it had copied Apple and said that the US company exaggerated the value of its patented features. Samsung responded to Apple's claims by stating that the iPhone maker had infringed on two of its patents on its iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. It sought $6m (£3.5m), but received only $158,000 (£93,000) in damages.

The companies' battle for smartphone and tablet supremacy has led to many intellectual property cases across the world.

This case was the latest in a three-year round of litigation between the two companies that peaked in 2012 when Apple was awarded $930m (about £450m) in damages in a trial presided over by US District Judge Lucy Koh. Samsung is still challenging the verdict of that trial.

Meanwhile, Apple is building a team of senior medical technology experts for its reported iWatch wearable device. A Reuters report states that the firm has poached biomedical specialists and experts in sensor technology, suggesting that the device may monitor health-related factors such as blood-sugar levels and nutrition.