The $1.05 billion in damages Samsung was ordered to pay Apple for infringing design patents has been reduced by 40 per cent by the judge that oversaw the original verdict – although this is not the end of the matter.

Judge Lucy Koh removed $450.5 million from the total, due to incorrect calculations in the earlier ruling, related to a number of specified Samsung devices.

However, a new trial has been ordered to consider damages related to these devices, and some observers suggest that the case will eventually end up before the US appeals court.

A jury in California awarded the damages in August last year after finding that Samsung was guilty of infringing Apple’s design patents with 14 devices. The patents included the look and feel seen on the iPhone, as well as the bounce-back response and tap-to-zoom feature.

The jury rejected Samsung’s claims that Apple has breached some of its patents but awarded substantially lower damages than the $2.5 billion originally requested by Apple.

The jury trial was the most high-profile of numerous cases Apple and Samsung have been fighting around the world. The legal battles were triggered after Apple accused the South Korean company of slavishly copying its iPhone and iPad designs last spring.