The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. on Monday reversed part of a $930 million verdict that Apple won in 2012 against Samsung Electronics, saying the iPhone maker's trademark-related appearance could not be protected. The cort upheld the patent infringement violations found by a federal jury in a court in San Jose, California, as well as the damages awarded for those violations.

Out of the $930 million judgment against Samsung, the appeals court ordered the court in San Jose to reconsider the $382 million portion awarded for trade dress dilution.

Trade dress is a legal term for a trademark on the way a product is packaged or presented. As part of its case, Apple had accused Samsung of diluting its brand and connection with customers by copying the look of its phones.

The widely watched legal battle between the two smartphone titans began in 2012, when a jury found that Samsung violated several Apple patents, including those related to iPhone's design and appearance.

Apple was awarded $930 million in damages, but failed in 2013 to ban the sale of the infringing Samsung phones, which are now no longer on the market.

Samsung and Apple have since dropped their legal battles, except for another case pending in the same appeals court involving a $120 million verdict in 2014 for Apple on separate smartphone patents.