In the ongoing and lengthy battle of the phone makers, Samsung has recruited some heavyweights to fight its corner. Google, Facebook, HP and other giants in the tech industry are calling on a US court to reconsider a recent patent infringement case awarded to Apple. The coalition believes the ruling - which demanded Samsung pay profits to its rival - will have ‘absurd and devastating’ results on the development of future handsets and online services. Samsung and Apple have been battling over numerous patent infringements since 2010, but in August 2012 Apple won $1 billion in damages. These damages were then dropped to around $930 million (£598 million), and later reduced by $382 million (£245 million).An amici curiae - or ‘friend of the court’ ruling - was filed at the start of JulySamsung has gained support from Facebook, Google HP, Dell, and eBayFiling objects to court ruling finding Samsung infringed Apple’s patentsCoalition wants the case to be reheard and the decision reconsidered
And in terms of software and online products, such as _ and eBay, a design patent may cover the appearance of a single feature of a page, such as the shape of an icon.