Samsung will pay $129 million to Apple after a US jury decided it had stolen elements of Apple designs.

But the payout is considered small, and some experts have labelled it as a loss for Apple, which has spent years trying to slow the rise of its competitors through constant legal action.

Apple has sought $2 billion for what it saw as Samsung’s violation of patents for features including universal search and slide-to-unlock.

Assistant professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, Brian Love, has told the ABC that Apple will not be happy with the outcome.

“Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple,” he said.

“This amount is less than 10 per cent of the amount Apple requested, and probably doesn't surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case.

“Apple launched this litigation campaign years ago with aspirations of slowing the meteoric rise of Android phone manufacturers. It has so far failed to do so, and this case won't get it any closer.”

Apple wants a ban on the sale of all Samsung Galaxy series phones.

In the most recent trial the jury found Samsung guilty of infringing two patents, following a separate trial in which Samsung was found to have infringed a third.

The jury also found Apple had infringed on one of Samsung’s patents.

With the constant back-and-forth tying up courtrooms and corporate budgets around the world, some experts question whether patent litigation is really the path to success.

“What the verdict shows is that Apple's patents did not play a significant role in consumer decisions," Professor Michael Carrier, from the Rutgers Law School, says.

“One wonders if the endless smartphone patent wars, costing millions and putting the focus on the courtroom rather than the innovation lab, are worth it.”