Apple has received some bittersweet news in its ongoing litigation with Samsung as an appeals court has ruled that, yes, the iPhone’s design was copied, but that the overall look of a phone can’t be protected by law.

And here we were thinking there’s such a thing as a design patent!

The specific clause refers to “trade dress,” which describes how a product is packaged and presented. Originally, this was a significant part of Apple’s win in 2013, although it’s now been overturned. As a result, a lower court is being asked to recalculate the massive $930 million in damages Apple was awarded.

It is likely that this will amount to a $382 million saving for Samsung, so that the South Korean tech giant’s total bill will come to around $548 million.

Apple and Samsung have kissed and made up on all other lawsuits except for this one, which concerns Apple’s argument that Samsung should be forced to remove patented features of the iPhone from its Galaxy phone.

These include the front face of the handsets, the bezel, the graphical user interface, and certain gestures, such as double-tapping a document to enlarge or center it.

While Samsung is clearly in the wrong, today’s verdict suggests there are still plenty more twists and turns on the road before we reach a final check-writing conclusion.

Source: Bloomberg Business