People walk past the Apple logo at the Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York.

The judge took issue with the legal theory the original jury used to reach its decision. The judge ordered a new trial to determine the damages.

The judge overseeing the Apple/Samsung patent case decided to throw out about half of the $1 billion in damages awarded by the jury in a trial last August.

All Things D explains:

"Judge Lucy Koh ordered a new trial to determine damages for certain of the products in the case, a move that affects $450 million of the jury's $1.05 billion award.

"'Because the Court has identified an impermissible legal theory on which the jury based its award, and cannot reasonably calculate the amount of excess while effectuating the intent of the jury, the Court hereby orders a new trial on damages for the following products: Galaxy Prevail, Gem, Indulge, Infuse 4G, Galaxy SII AT&T, Captivate, Continuum, Droid Charge, Epic 4G, Exhibit 4G, Galaxy Tab, Nexus S 4G, Replenish, and Transform,' Koh wrote in her ruling."

As we reported at the time, this case was considered the "patent trial of the century." And the details of it were so technical and difficult that the jury delivered a 20-page verdict.

As The Los Angeles Times reports that theoretically the new jury could return the $450 million of the original award.

The Times adds:

"The rulings are the latest twist in the global litigation war between Apple and Samsung. The case at issue covers a series of older Samsung products that Apple says violated its intellectual property. A second lawsuit is pending before Koh in which Apple makes similar claims against Samsung's more recent smartphones and tablets.

"While not an outright loss for Apple, the ruling is not the best news for a company that's been on bit of legal losing streak."

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