The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to jump into the ongoing patent fight between Apple and Samsung over smartphone technology, raising the stakes in a case that has centered on claims the South Korean tech giant copied the iPhone to build its own smartphone empire.

In a brief order, the justices announced they will consider a key part of Samsung’s appeal of its loss to Apple in their first federal court trial showdown that eventually forced the South Korean tech giant to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The Supreme Court is likely to hear arguments in the case during the next term that starts in October.

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“This is an area of law that has not kept up with the modern world, and I hope they will fix it,” said Mark Lemley, a Stanford University law professor who urged the Supreme Court to review Samsung’s appeal. “I am hopeful that we will bring the law of design patents a bit more in line with the economic realities of the smartphone era.”