The Samsung v. Apple saga is headed toward a fourth jury trial that's slated to begin in San Jose federal court at the end of this month. Lawyers for both companies have been filing a rapid succession of briefs, seeking to hammer out the final details of a trial that will recalculate damages for some Samsung phones found to infringe Apple patents.

US District Judge Lucy Koh has now weighed in on the parties' requests, publishing an order (PDF) on Wednesday barring Samsung's most surprising request. The company had asked (PDF) for Apple to be barred from mentioning that Samsung is a Korean corporation.

"Throughout both of the prior trials in this case, Apple has taken every opportunity to remind the jury of Samsung’s 'foreignness' by consistently referring to SEC as 'Samsung Korea,' 'Korean Samsung,' the 'Korean parent,' 'the Korean company,' and the 'Korean bosses' of 'Samsung America,'" Samsung lawyers wrote. "In fact, Apple’s counsel has rarely referred to SEC without mentioning Korea." They pointed out Koh herself had cited research about jury bias against foreign patent litigants. "Apple has no legitimate basis to offer any evidence or argument that evokes racial or national origin prejudice." Samsung lawyers also asked for Apple to be barred from referencing "the nationality or country of employment of Samsung witnesses."

On Wednesday, Koh denied Samsung's request, calling it overly broad. "Apple's references to 'Samsung Korea' were permissibly 'made to explain Samsung’s corporate structure and the interplay between various executives,'" Koh wrote, quoting her own earlier ruling. "The Court held that, in context, these questions and comments did not evoke racial or national origin prejudice."

"[T]he Court is mindful that a portion of Apple’s closing argument at the 2013 damages retrial 'included a troubling theme which could have been perceived as invoking racial or ethnic prejudice,'" she added. Apple was admonished for that behavior, and "the Court has no reason to believe that Apple will make similar comments going forward."

A retrial over damages is scheduled to begin on March 28, and Koh's decision on the Korea references was part of a larger order about various pre-trial issues. The retrial follows a May 2015 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a ruling that wiped out Apple's damages related to trade dress. In the upcoming trial, a jury will have to make an award based solely on Apple's infringed patents. Those patents include three design patents, the '381 "bounce back" patent, the '163 "tap to zoom" patent, and the '915 "pinch to zoom" patent.

The whole shebang relates to the blockbuster 2012 trial in which Apple won a verdict of $1.05 billion before seeing that number slashed down in post-trial motions and appeals. Samsung has paid $548 million to Apple in relation to that case so far.

A second victory against Samsung came Apple's way during a 2014 jury trial over newer phones in which Apple was awarded $120 million. Last week that win was wiped out entirely when the appeals court invalidated the patents Apple used, including the "slide to unlock" patent.