Justice Department Urges High Court to Overturn Award to Apple Over Samsung Smartphones

SEOUL—The U.S. Justice Department filed an amicus curiae brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that awarded about half a billion dollars in damages to Apple Inc. for design patent infringements by South Korean smartphone rival Samsung Electronics Co.

While the Justice Department’s filing didn’t formally take a side in the Apple-Samsung dispute, its call for a new trial was quickly welcomed by...