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