Samsung will have to pay more than $1 billion in damages to Apple after a jury of nine men and women in a US court deemed the South Korean company had infringed a number of patents held by Apple.

The decision came after 21 hours of deliberation following a month-long court case, the outcome of which doesn't bode well for Samsung.

It means Apple will now try to ban as many of Samsung products as possible. It has already issued preliminary injunctions against the Nexus phone and Galaxy 10.1 tablet based on the outcome.

"Ticking off one by one the findings in a 20-page verdict, the jury said that a wide range of Samsung smartphones and its Galaxy tablet trampled on Apple's patent rights, The Mercury News reported from the hearing.

"The jury in particular found Samsung's Fascinate, Epic 4G and Galaxy S II smartphones were rogue products that warranted more than $100 million each in damages for copying the iPhone, although the panel spared Samsung much punishment for infringing the iPad." 

Apple said in a statement: "The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values.

"At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy. We applaud the court for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right."

Samsung, as you can imagine, isn't happy with the decision. It has issued the following statement.

“Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies.

"Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.”

The two firms' phone sales account for more than half of all global smartphone sales and the decision is likely to have wide-ranging implications on Samsung's business and that of others such as HTC. 

In the short term, however, the news is unlikely to have an instant impact on Samsung customers or those wanting to buy a Samsung phone for.