The US Trade Commision (ITC) has ordered an import ban on some Samsung products, ruling that they infringe two Apple patents. The commission ruled that Samsung infringes two Apple patents in its older smartphones and tablets, AllthingsD reports, and that the products in question should be barred from US shelves. There’s no mention of which […]
The US Trade Commision (ITC) has ordered an import ban on some Samsung products, ruling that they infringe two Apple patents.
The commission ruled that Samsung infringes two Apple patents in its older smartphones and tablets, AllthingsD reports, and that the products in question should be barred from US shelves. There’s no mention of which products it is referring to, although the list is likely to include the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The ITC said in a statement, “The Commission has determined that the appropriate remedy is a limited exclusion order prohibiting Samsung from importing certain electronic digital media devices that infringe one or more of claims 1, 4-6, 10, and 17-20 of the ‘949 patent and claims 1-4 and 8 of the ‘501 patent.”
The ITC also ruled in Samsung’s favour with regard to four other patents. Still, the firm isn’t happy with the ITC’s decision, with a spokesperson saying, “The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace.”
However, Samsung also hinted that it might have already taken appropriate measures to avoid the import ban, adding, “Samsung will continue to launch many innovative products and we have already taken measures to ensure that all of our products will continue to be available in the United States.”
Apple said in a statement, “With today’s decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung’s blatant copying of Apple’s products. Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about.”
The ITC’s decision came just days after US President Barack Obama overturned an import ban on some older Apple iPhone and iPad devices, and it remains to be seen whether the administration will also veto the ITC’s latest ruling.
Both the companies have been involved in patent disputes in about 10 markets.
In the recent times, Samsung rose to number one position in global smartphone sales, beating Apple.
